Rise of the Fireborn
by Blazorus
Summary: Blazorus, an orphan from the village of Basani, is the first Fireborn in 10.000 years since his ancestor, Shurpu, the Guardian of the Ring. When he awakens to his power as a Fireborn, Blazorus parts on a journey, during which he will make new allies and foes and grow powerful enough to become the Master of Flames and defeat his ancestor's nemesis, Xan.
1. Shurpu

**Chapter 1**

**Shurpu**

10.000 years ago, Shurpu was the first human ever to harness the power of Fire in his heart and develop the arts of Pyromancy. He first discovered his deep connection to Fire when he once traveled to the depths of the Basani Volcano, in his young years. As he entered what appeared to be some ancient ruins, he saw the pathway to an ancient altar. He went down that path, wondering what would lie on the other end.

\- "Wow…" – young Shurpu was mesmerized by the statues of ancient Fire Elementals covering both right and left sides of the pathway to the altar.

\- "This way…" – a feminine voice echoed inside Shurpu's mind, startling him. He gasped as a reaction to the voice in his mind. He looked at the altar. It was calling for him. Although, he was scared to approach the altar, he wanted to do so.

\- "Embrace your heart, Fireborn…"

\- "F-Fireborn…?" – Shurpu wondered what it was all about. Not until he looked at the sacred flame and felt his heart reacting to it, urging Shurpu to approach it. He approached it slowly, unable to take his eyes off of it. As Shurpu was standing right in front of it…

\- "Touch it…" – the feminine voice ordered Shurpu to touch the flame. He slowly reached his hand to it, scared of what might happen afterwards. As his hand approached the flame, he felt his hand hotter and hotter… however, he didn't feel anything. As Shurpu touches the flame, he becomes infused with it, becoming the Pyromancer of Basani. Everything about him has changed since then. He became immortal, strong and fearless. His heart burned with the Fire infused within him. He was the one the flame called upon as its Master, tasked with maintaining the balance of Fire in the world of Lore between giving life and causing destruction.

3000 years later, Shurpu had fulfilled his task and everything was at peace. However, he had one more task in mind. To conceal all of his power in a relic, in order to pass it down to the next Fireborn. He went to the ruins where he touched the flame. There, he created a ring which he named Ring of Shurpu and performed a ritual to conceal the flame, the source of his vast power, within it. Since that day, he became the Guardian of the Ring.

Xan, a Pyromancer who couldn't control the power over Fire he was granted with, has succumbed and got his mind consumed by his power, causing him to go insane. Pyromancers who succumb to their powers and go insane will eventually want to grasp for more power and become the Master of Fire through destruction and force. It was impossible for an insane Pyromancer to achieve ultimate power before the Ring of Shurpu was created. When Xan heard of the power concealed in the Ring of Shurpu, he made haste to Basani, namely the ruins now known as the Ruins of Shurpu, in an attempt to take possession of the Ring and use its power to set the world of Lore on fire and become its sole ruler.

Eventually, Xan found his way to the altar where the Ring of Shurpu lied, but then again, so did Shurpu himself. Surprised, he gazed upon the Guardian of the Ring, while the Guardian stared at the insane intruder.

\- "Stop. Go no further." – Shurpu ordered Xan, in a warning tone.

Xan said nothing. Instead, he let his flames do the talking. He channeled a fireball in his right hand, throwing it at Shurpu, who jumps to avoid it, only to let the fireball hit the altar.

\- "You dare to defy the Guardian of the Ring?" – Shurpu unsheaths the Magma Spire, his staff and prepares to fight Xan to protect the Ring.

\- "Step aside, Guardian." – Xan said. – "I am the heir of the Ring of Shurpu, and I will rightfully take it with me!"

\- "You are not a Fireborn, young one." – Shurpu said. – "Only the Fireborn can inherit the Ring of Shurpu and acquire supreme power over Fire. Unlike you, who succumbed to the destructive power you wield and gone insane, the Fireborn are unable to suffer what you have, and only they can become the Masters of Flames. Leave now."

Angry, Xan channels more fireballs and throws them at Shurpu, only to miss. While in mid-air, Shurpu points the Magma Spire at Xan and throws a spiral of flames at him.

\- "**Flame** **Vortex**!" – Shurpu yells as it is cast against the intruder. Xan crosses his arms in an X shape in order to block it, but to no avail. He is knocked down by the force of the vortex.

\- "Argh!" – Xan groans in frustration, becoming angrier.

\- "You dare steal the Ring of Shurpu, claiming to be its rightful heir and you defy its Guardian. I will not have mercy on you, intruder."

\- "I am not done yet…" – Xan gets up and casts a pillar of flame on himself. – "I will burn it all… this world… will be… consumed…"

Shurpu stands ready for whatever may come afterwards. As the pillar of flame fades, Xan is revealed to have taken an evolved form.

\- … in flames!" – Xan has evolved into a fiercer form than his previous one. His head is now a dark skull on fire, and his robes have burned to ashes during his evolution. His body is now completely made of fire.

\- "**Flame** **Vortex**!" – Shurpu casts the same attack on Xan, but unfortunately, it has no effect. – "What!?" - Xan laughs at Shurpu's failed efforts.

\- "You will meet your doom here, Guardian…" – Xan, now more powerful than ever, casts his most powerful spell in an attempt to defeat Shurpu. – "**Burning**…" – a giant wall of Fire appears in front of Xan. Shurpu feels unable to match Xan's power, due to concealing most of his inside the Ring. He sees no other choice than to use his ultimate ability.

\- "I will never let you take the Ring, intruder…" – Shurpu points his staff high upwards and his body becomes infused in flames, similarly to Xan when he evolved. However, he was casting a spell which would cost not only all of his power, but also his life. All in an attempt to save the Ring of Shurpu. – " **Towering**...!" – Shurpu stands ready to cast his ability to counter Xan's.

\- "… **Vengeance**!" – Xan's wall of flames shot a huge wave of flames at Shurpu.

\- " … **Inferno**!" – Shurpu unleashes all of his energy and power, along with his life essence in order to defeat Xan. After the scorching hot clash of Fire magic, Shurpu's body gets tossed from Xan's Burning Vengeance, but Xan also gets tossed away from Shurpu's Towering Inferno. However, Xan survived. Shurpu failed to defeat the intruder, even after putting in his best efforts. As Xan catches his breath and walks towards the altar, he looks at the fallen Shurpu. He approaches the fallen Guardian and takes the Magma Spire. He examines it carefully, specially the red jewel on top of the staff. Looking back at Shurpu, he says to himself – "The era of the Fireborn is over. Now, begins the era of Xan, the Master of Flames."

Xan approaches the altar and grabs the Ring, proceeding to examine it carefully. He sees the Ring has a small ruby with a flame burning inside it. – "This is it… the source for ultimate mastery of Fire…" – Xan laughs as he walks out of the altar. – "With this ring, I will make the world of Lore bow to my flames of destruction! And the first land I will burn will be… **Firestorm**!"

Xan leaves the Ruins of Shurpu. The Guardian has perished before an insane Pyromancer hungry for power. Or has he? After Xan left for Firestorm, the spirit flame of Shurpu rose from his body, and made haste to Firestorm, in order to stop Xan from fulfilling his plans and take back the Ring.


	2. Ssikari

**Chapter 2**

**Ssikari**

Ssikari was a human Dragon Priestess from Firestorm, but was also a Pyromancer. Although she was not originally a Fireborn, her magical proficiency with Fire was unmatched. This makes her the very first non-Fireborn to fully harness and master the arts of Pyromancy in her hands. She lived in an ancient temple located on the realm of Firestorm. The creatures that inhabit it refer to Ssikari as the Mother of the Realm of Fire, because it was Ssikari herself who brought this majestic land to life by using her magical abilities with Fire and her deep connection to the ancient Dragon Gods of Etherstorm. Hence why many of the Firestorm creatures are dragonkind.

When Ssikari was born, the Zellare, the Fire Dragon God, gave her his blessing and made her their Priestess, due to her deep connection to the Fire Element, allowing her to become a powerful Pyromancer, but also giving her the responsibility to watch over and guard the Firestorm realm and the creatures that inhabit it. Ssikari's power was so great, that it was widely speculated that she was born in Basani, making people believe she was a Fireborn, however, she was a Dragonborn, and Dragonborns, although very few, can also inherit the power of Fire a Fireborn does, but the only difference between both is that a Dragonborn who inherits a Fireborn's power can become twisted and their minds will become insane due to lack of control of their power.

Ssikari was deemed as the ruler of Firestorm for many centuries, and so, the land prospered greatly. In order to keep her realm safe from harm, Ssikari practiced her Pyromancer abilities every day. However, instead of practicing regular attacks as if she was prepping for a battle, she instead practiced her spiritual connection to Fire, in order to become stronger through will, and not force. She spent centuries training her spiritual flame to unlock its essence, which one day lead to her power being greater than any Pyromancer who has ever lived then, even Shurpu. Her abilities were proven to be unique, including a particular one Ssikari called Blazing Extinction. No one has ever seen her cast that ability, not even in battle, as she hasn't battled for many years, but that was soon going to change.

The era of prosperity and peace of Firestorm was about to end. Ssikari sensed something strange, much like the way Shurpu did when Xan arrived at the ruins. She knew a threat of some sort was approaching, and that she was going to fight to protect her land. Hs'Sakar, the High Priest of the Prime Fire Dragon and Ssikari's counselor, gazes upon the Priestess's concerned look, as she looks at the statue of Zellare, the Fire Dragon God, deep in the Temple.

\- "I sense a threat coming, Hs'Sakar." – Ssikari said. Hs'Sakar closed his eyes, as Ssikari turned around to face him. – "Do you sense it too?"

\- "Hmmmm… Yes… I sense it too…" – Hs'Sakar opened his eyes and turned to Ssikari – "It's a threat not only to Firestorm, but also to you, Priestess…"

\- "To me…?" – Ssikari was surprised to hear this from Hs'Sakar. – "Will I have to fight?"

\- "For the sake of Firestorm and Zellare, you must fight, Priestess…" – Hs'Sakar said. All of a sudden, loud explosions could be heard outside, as the Sulfur Imps and Firestorm Offsprings ran from their lives. Alarmed, Ssikari gasped, and Hs'Sakar closed his eyes. – "Priestess, you must hurry… The future of your realm is in your hands."

\- "Living Fires, go!" – Ssikari ordered her Living Fire soldiers to go and battle this threat. As the "threat" was killing off all the innocent creatures in the land, the Living Fires put in their best efforts to stop him, but they were all defeated effortlessly. Angered, Ssikari made haste to this threat. – "I will deal with this threat personally. Stay here, Hs'Sakar, and pray to Zellare for Firestorm."

\- "Good luck, Priestess!" – As Ssikari left the temple, Hs'Sakar said to himself – "May the Flame of Courage burn ever bright within you."

Ssikari arrived to the threat, who was revealed to be a dark skulled Pyromancer. – "Stop!" – Xan turned to Ssikari in surprise.

\- "Well, well, well. If it isn't the Dragon Priestess…" – Ssikari channels her hands with fire and gets ready to face Xan. – "Oh? You wish to battle me?"

\- "You will spread no more destruction in my land! **Orbital Flames**!" – Ssikari throws four fireballs, the last one hitting Xan's right shoulder.

\- "Argh!" – Xan kneels in pain. – Grrr… Don't think you can beat me yet, Priestess…" – He makes an effort to stand and stretches out his left arm. – "**Flame Vortex**!" – He casts the same ability Shurpu used against him. Ssikari quickly reacts to the fast-moving vortex and manages to jump away from it. In mid-air, she spins her body as she casts a burst of flames with her hands and aims it at Xan.

– "**Infernal Breath**!" – Xan dodges it, but Ssikari continues casting her attack and aiming at the Pyromancer, eventually hitting him and knocking him down. – "It is a mistake to challenge me."

\- "Argh…" – Xan tries to stand up again. – "Grrr, you sure are strong… You're even stronger than Shurpu… But I can… show you… what the real… meaning of power… is…" – as he stands up, he attempts to cast his most powerful ability. Ssikari felt a strong heartbeat at that instant, making her gasp. Suddenly, her whole body started to be surrounded in an aura of flames, much to her confusion. It wasn't her who channeled this aura.

\- "Be careful, Ssikari…" – A deep voice echoed in the Priestess's mind, but she didn't question anything and stood ready for whatever Xan was going to do.

She suddenly sees Xan's body also being engulfed in an aura of flames, followed by a huge circle surrounding both Xan and Ssikari. She looks around in a slight fright.

\- "Ssikari… Cast it…" – The deep voice warned Ssikari. She knew Xan was going to end it, but she didn't know what to do.

\- "Cast what…? I don't understand…" – Ssikari stood there glaring at Xan who was casting some sort of ability or attack.

\- "You need to cast your most powerful ability to stop Xan… I will lend you my power. The aura of fire around your body is me." – Ssikari knew what the voice was talking about was her Blazing Extinction. – "You have no choice. If you don't cast it, Firestorm will fall." – Ssikari closed her eyes. – "Alright. I'll do it." – Ssikari opened her arms and started casting a ball of Fire above her head, gradually growing as it received energy from the living creatures of Firestorm, including Hs'Sakar. The circle of fire surrounding both Xan and Ssikari quickly rose and trapped them, but the Priestess wasn't worried about it anymore.

\- "You will meet your doom here, Priestess." – Xan's body started to glow. – "**Towering**...!" – He was casting the same ability that Shurpu used to sacrifice himself in Basani. But just as Xan was casting his attack…

\- "**Blazing**…!" – Ssikari was using everything in her power to stop Xan. Hs'Sakar was watching the whole action from the Temple entrance, and he was rather concerned for Ssikari.

\- "I hope Ssikari can survive this one… Oh, Zellare, please, protect the Priestess with your blessing…" – Hs'Sakar closed his eyes as he was praying.

Meanwhile, Xan and Ssikari were about to clash.

\- "… **Inferno**!" – The area the circle of fire was covering all burned up in flames, but not before Ssikari counter attacked.

\- "… **Extinction**!" – Ssikari throws the huge ball of fire at Xan, who was unable to move due to his Towering Inferno, making him a sitting duck, but Ssikari was unable to escape. – "Aaaaaaaaaargh!" – Ssikari cries out in pain, and Hs'Sakar gasps in fright.

\- "Priestess!" – Hs'Sakar was shocked to see Ssikari suffering, until he notices a spirit emanating from the Priestess's body. – "That is…!"

The spirit of Ssikari left her body and went to the heart of the Firestorm volcano, where it reincarnated to the dragon still living there today. In the middle of all this, Xan was lying on the floor, unconscious. His dark skull was no longer on fire. Could he be dead?

A second spirit, who happened to infuse Ssikari with that aura of flames, emanated from the Priestess's body. It was revealed to be the spirit of Shurpu, who aided Ssikari in her battle against Xan. He took over the body of the unconscious Pyromancer, and took him back to the ruins of Shurpu in Basani, putting him in exile. Afterwards, he created a giant creature entirely made out of molten lava and permanently took over its body, becoming the Shurpu Ring Guardian still living in the ruins today. Meanwhile, in Firestorm, Hs'Sakar and a few clerics run to Ssikari's human body left lifeless on the battlefield.

\- "Take the Priestess's body back to the Temple and seal the body's energy in Zellare's chamber." – as the clerics did what he said, Hs'Sakar went to the heart of the volcano, where he saw Ssikari's spirit going. Upon reaching it, he saw a giant crimson red scaled dragon, with scorching hot yellow wings. It was Ssikari's reincarnation after her demise against Xan. – "Ssikari…" – Hs'Sakar gazed upon the majestic dragon.

\- "Hs'Sakar…" – Ssikari's feminine voice echoed in the High Priest's mind. – "I am not gone… I will still rule over Firestorm, but no longer as the Dragon Priestess. Instead, I will be the Prime Fire Dragon of Firestorm." Hs'Sakar bows to the mighty dragon without saying a word and goes back to the temple, where Ssikari's human body was successfully sealed within Zellare's chamber.

Ssikari's sacrifice to save the realm of Firestorm was not in vain, as it faced many millennia of peace and prosperity once again.

7000 years later, in the modern world of Lore, Shurpu used his Life Essence of Fire to give birth to an offspring as the next Fireborn. Ssikari did the same, and both merged their Life Essences to give birth to the very first Fire Dragonborn in history, Blazorus.


	3. Blazorus

**Chapter 3**

**Blazorus**

Much has changed following the birth of Blazorus. Shurpu's spirit now lies in a giant creature made of lava created by Shurpu himself simply known as the Shurpu Ring Guardian. Ssikari still lived, although, following her sacrifice in her fierce battle with Xan, she reincarnated into the Prime Fire Dragon, and currently lies in the heart of the Firestorm Volcano. Hs'Sakar took the place of the Dragon Priestess in the Temple of Zellare. A statue of Ssikari as a Dragon Priestess was built in the isle of Fotia to honor her sacrifice for her land. Fotia is currently inhabited by female cult worshippers, Fotia spirits and elementals, living beings with an elemental connection to Fire. As for Xan, he is currently deep within the Ruins of Shurpu, in exile. And young Blazorus is living in the village of Basani.

Young Blazorus lived in an orphanage in Basani, since he had no family other than his late parents, Shurpu and Ssikari. The orphanage was run by Scoria, who was also his teacher. Since the village had no school, he had class in the orphanage. Andesi, Scoria's son, was a friend of Blazorus, and always enjoyed playing with him in the orphanage garden during recess. However, Blazorus wasn't the playful type. He was a mysterious boy, always so calm, so quiet, but he wasn't socially awkward. He talked to anyone who talked to him.

\- "Okay, class, it's time for recess!" – Scoria said, looking at the clock in the classroom. All the kids cheered as they rushed out of the room and into the garden. Blazorus went to play ball with Andesi. Meanwhile, in the classroom, Scoria was reading a rather interesting book… about the Ruins of Shurpu.

10 minutes passed, and the recess was over. Scoria went outside to call the kids back in. Once the classroom was full again, she started her next lesson.

\- "Alright, children, it's time for our next lesson. History."

The class opened their books on the proper page. The title of the subject said "Shurpu". Blazorus showed some surprise at the sight of the title.

\- "Now, who here can tell me what the Ruins of Shurpu are?" – A dozen of students raised their arms. – "Wow, so many! Uhm… Liandra!"

\- "The Ruins of Shurpu are… uhm… a cave…?"

\- "Yes…?" – Scoria tried to support Liandra's answer.

\- "… with a ring, and…" – Blazorus quickly raised his hand.

\- "Yes, Blazorus?" – Scoria turned to Blazorus to hear his answer.

\- "The Ruins of Shurpu are a monument over 10.000 years old in tribute to Shurpu, the first human Fireborn in history. It's also where he created the Ring of Shurpu, sealing the source of his power inside him, and fought Xan the insane Pyromancer, only to fall in defeat. It is currently speculated that he lives on through the giant creature known as the Shurpu Ring Guardian."

\- "Very good!" – Scoria applauded him, but was also surprised by his knowledge about the ruins. – "How do you know all that?"

\- "I don't know, I read it somewhere, I guess…"

\- "You sure seem to know a lot about it to just read it somewhere." – Scoria said.

The class went on about the tale of Shurpu and how he was defeated by Xan. The bell rings.

\- "Alright, class, that's all for today. You can go play outside now." – Scoria said, ending the day's teaching activities. Blazorus went back to his room, while his teacher went outside to watch over the kids.

Everything was peaceful. The sound of children playing, and Scoria telling them to be careful, just like any other day. She noticed Blazorus was not outside, and came searching for him. However, that was a mistake. As soon as she left the garden, a few kids were going away from the area, into the outskirts of the village. Andesi was one of them. Scoria and Blazorus heard screams coming from the outside and came to investigate. As soon as they went out the door, a little girl came to them.

\- "Please, help! Andesi and the others have gone out of the village!" – The little girl said, crying in fear.

\- "What!?" – Scoria was shocked. – "Oh, no…! They're going to get hurt! Everyone, go to your rooms and wait for us there! It's not safe here!" – She went to grab a pitchfork from the orphanage yard.

\- "W-Wait, Ms. Scoria!" – Blazorus said. – "I'm going with you." – He wasn't the type to sit back while people were in danger. He wanted to fight, despite being young, but he was the oldest kid in the orphanage.

\- "I said back to your room!" – Scoria warned Blazorus.

\- "You don't understand! There are lava golems out there! If one of them gets to the kids before we do… I can help you fight them. Trust me." – Blazorus wanted to fight alongside his teacher to save Andesi.

\- "Okay…" – Scoria reluctantly accepted to bring Blazorus with her. – "Here." – She hands him the pitchfork.

\- "Thanks." – Blazorus said. – "Let's go!"

The two of them quickly made haste to the outskirts of town. Meanwhile, Andesi and three other kids were being surrounded by Fire Imps and got pushed against a wall by them. It was a terrifying situation they were in, they thought they were going to die, and cried for their lives.

\- "N-No! Get away from us!" – Andesi cried out, but the Imps wouldn't oblige, they don't understand human speech, after all. Just as one of the Imps was going to attack the group…

***THUMP***

The attacking imp gets smacked in the head hard by a pitchfork. Andesi turned to the attacker and was surprised to see Blazorus on the other end of the weapon.

\- "Blazorus!" – Andesi shouted. – "Watch out, there's more behind you!" – He turned around just as an imp was leaping towards him, landing on the handle of the pitchfork.

\- "Ugh!" Ms. Scoria!" – Blazorus calls her teacher as he shoves the imp off and smacks him in the head. – "Take Andesi and the others out of here! I will take care of the imps!"

\- "Alright, be careful!" – Scoria said, escorting the kids back to the village, but their path was blocked by a lava golem. Scoria lets out a scream, making Blazorus look their way.

\- "Hiya!" – Blazorus smacks the last imp and rushes to aid Scoria. – "Stay back, everyone!" – Blazorus glares at the golem.

\- "What are we going to do now?" – Andesi asked.

\- "I'm going to lure him away so you can go back to the village." – Blazorus said.

\- "What about you?" – Scoria asked in fright.

\- "I'll be fine, just go when I say!" – Blazorus said.

Blazorus rushes in to attack the golem. As the golem lets out a deafening roar, he smacks his leg hard, but the hit had no effect. It only aggravated the monster more.

\- "Wait for it!" – Blazorus warned the group as he runs away from the golem in an attempt to make the monster follow him. As soon as the golem takes a step forward, Scoria and the kids rushed into the village.

\- "Okay, go!" – Scoria said, leading them to the orphanage. – Kids, go back to your rooms!"

\- "Mom, no! You'll get hurt!" – Andesi said.

\- "Blazorus needs my help. Go back to your rooms and wait for us. After this, Andesi, you're going to hear it." – Scoria looked at her son in disapproval for the young boy going out of the village.

Meanwhile, Blazorus was having a hard time fighting the golem. He couldn't go back to the village with him in his way.

\- "Argh! I need to bring this golem down for the sake of the village…" – Blazorus said, struggling against his foe. The golem smacks his fists to the ground, launching a trembling shockwave towards Blazorus. He tries to dodge it, to no avail. – "Argh!" – Blazorus stands on the ground, his weapon no longer near him. The lava golem approaches him.

\- "No! Blazorus!" – Scoria arrived to stop the golem. He turns to the woman. Blazorus is lying on the ground, not moving. She looks at his student in shock. – "No… Blazorus…" – Her eyes started dripping wet from her tears, fearing for Blazorus's life. – "You can't be dead…"


	4. Awakening

**Chapter 4**

**Awakening**

Back at the orphanage, the kids were getting worried about Scoria and Blazorus.

\- "They're taking a while to come back… I hope they're okay…" – a girl said.

\- "They're battling against a lava golem we had run into…" – Andesi said, sounding regretful. – "Mom…"

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the village, Blazorus doesn't move after being knocked down by a strong attack from the golem. Scoria was shocked to see his student harshly injured. The golem turns to her after hearing her words to Blazorus, and attacks her.

\- "Argh!" – Scoria lets out a scream just as she dodges an attack from the golem. – "Blazorus! Help!" – Blazorus wasn't listening. He was unconscious.

Shortly afterwards, Blazorus wakes up. Looking around, he wonders where he is. Everything was dark around him, he couldn't see anything. It's like he was drowned in a sea of darkness, with nothing around him.

\- "Where… am I? What happened to… Ms. Scoria…?" – Blazorus keeps looking around and around and around… all he saw around him was darkness.

\- "Wake up…" – A feminine voice echoed, startling Blazorus.

\- "Who's there?" – He asked, looking around him, but seeing no one. It was then that a flaming spirit appeared in front of him. It appeared to be the spirit of the Dragon Priestess Ssikari.

\- "You must unleash the Essence lying deep within your heart."

\- "Huh…?" – Blazorus was rather confused. – "Essence…? What do you mean…? W-Who are you…?"

\- "It is time for you to discover the power you've possessed since birth, in order to be able to protect yourself, as well as the people you care for."

Blazorus didn't reply to the spirit's last sentence, but was glaring at her. He started a train of thoughts. Essence deep within his heart, he power he's possessed since birth, the people he cared for… It was very confusing to him, so, he asked for more.

\- "This power you've mentioned… Can you tell me about it…?"

\- "You will have to discover it on your own. Close your eyes and listen to your heart. It will tell you not only about your power, but who you are as well."

\- "Who I am…?" – Blazorus started feeling a little anxious. He didn't know who he was exactly, so, he closed his eyes and attempted to listen to his heart, like the spirit said.

\- "Yes… concentrate… talk to your heart." – The spirit tried to guide Blazorus into discovering his power. – "Your power is that of the ancient creatures that inhabited this world many centuries ago. Awaken it, and you will be able to defeat the Lava Golem you were battling earlier."

At the sound of the Lava Golem, Blazorus opened his eyes and gasped in fright. – "The Lava Golem…!?" – He remembered the lava golem he was trying to defeat. – "Yes, I remember… *gasp*!" – He realized something. – "Ms. Scoria!"

\- "If you wish to save your friend from the Lava Golem, you must awaken your power and discover your true self."

\- "Y-Yes…" – Blazorus closed his eyes again and concentrated harder than before. He wasn't able to hear anything, but then…

***HEARTBEAT***

His heart had reacted to his concentration, and, as he was seeing his very own heart in front of him, he was also able to see its core. There was an ember burning bright. That was his spirit. His Essence.

\- "Blazorus…" – A deep, male voice echoed in his mind. – "By having discovered me in the core of your heart, you must have realized…"

\- "R-Realized…?" – Blazorus looked at the ember. – "What do you mean…?"

\- "You are a Fireborn, young one." – The ember said, much to Blazorus's surprise.

\- "A Fireborn!?"

***HEARTBEAT***

Blazorus's heart had reacted again, knowing that his identity had finally been revealed. Realizing this, he turns to the ember with a look of determination in his eyes, but said nothing.

\- "Do you wish to awaken to the power of the Fireborn that is bestowed upon you? Do you wish to become the Master of Flames, and protect the people you love, as well as yourself?" – Blazorus nods at both of the ember's questions.

\- "I want to defeat that Lava Golem… and save Ms. Scoria!" – Blazorus's eyes were emitting a bright orange color, as if they were on fire. His fists were clenched, ready to awaken to his power and his true identity.

\- "Very well…" – The ember started burning even brighter. – "Arise, Fireborn! May the Flame of Courage burn ever bright within you!"

Meanwhile, back into reality, Scoria was knocked down and looking at the golem in fright. She was completely defenseless and at the mercy of the monster.

\- "No! Get away from me!" – Scoria said. Her eyes were wet. She was crying for her life. Just then, a bright light emitted from Blazorus's body. – "Huh? Blazorus…?" – Scoria was surprised. The golem turned to Blazorus as well.

His body was now surrounded by an aura of flames, and his eyes were glowing orange. He got up. His hands were also burning. He had discovered his true self, and harnessed the power of Fire at last. He glared aggressively at the Lava Golem, forcing him to roar and target him.

\- "Blazorus!" – Scoria was stunned by what she was seeing.

\- "I got this, Ms. Scoria!" – Blazorus showed much more confidence than before. He knew he could defeat the Golem this time.

As the golem smacks his fists hard into the ground, launching the same attack that took him down before, he jumps upwards. He opened his arms sideways and summoned a number of fireballs from each hand.

\- "**Orbital Flames**!" – Blazorus shouts as he throws the fireballs at the golem, hitting it in its head. Furious by the attack, the golem retaliates with a loud roar. But Blazorus doesn't stop there. He summons more fireballs and throws at it, eventually knocking down the golem. He approaches the fallen golem, and points the palm of his right hand at its face, and delivers the finishing blow, a burst of flames similar to a flamethrower.

\- "Blazorus…" – Scoria looked at the awakened Fireborn in fright. However, shortly after the golem was defeated, the aura of fire surrounding Blazorus had disappeared, and his eyes weren't glowing orange anymore, but their Iris was now permanently colored orange. He turns to Scoria.

\- "Ms. Scoria, are you alright?" – Blazorus asked as he ran towards her.

\- "Yes, I am… What happened to you back there…? It's like… Ugh!" – Scoria had injured her leg. It was probably the golem's doing while he was unconscious. – "My leg…"

\- "I'll carry you, don't worry." – Blazorus said as he wrapped his arm around Scoria's shoulders and lifted her legs with his other arm, carrying her as if he was her Prince Charming.

\- "It's like you were someone completely different…" – Scoria continued, looking at Blazorus. – "And your eyes…" – Blazorus looked back at Scoria.

\- "My eyes…?" – Blazorus asked Scoria.

\- "They've changed color… Wow…" – Scoria smiled and giggled – "Orange eyes make you look handsome" – She blushed.

\- "Haha" – Blazorus laughed nervously.

\- "Thank you." – Scoria said, leaving Blazorus in surprise. – "You saved Andesi and the others, as well as me. I owe you my gratitude."

\- "It is I who should thank you, Ms. Scoria." – Blazorus said. – "By letting me go rescue the kids, I have discovered my true self… and my power…"

\- "Huh?" – Scoria was confused. – "You mean the Pyromancer skills you fought the Golem with?"

\- "Yes. It's a long story. I will explain everything after you get some rest." – Blazorus said, looking forward to getting some rest as well.

Meanwhile, in the Ruins of Shurpu…

\- "I sense something…" – the exiled Xan said, looking at the palm of his left hand. – "I sense a peculiar presence in the village…" – he was referring to Blazorus. – "So, he's back… I'll be looking forward to meeting you… Fireborn."


	5. The Next Step

**Chapter 5**

**The Next Step**

Back at the orphanage, Blazorus delivered Scoria to her bed, and proceeded to go to his. The kids looked at the changed Blazorus, but no one dared say a word. They seemed somewhat scared. After Blazorus went to his room, Andesi went to see his mother.

\- "Mom…" – Andesi said, even though Scoria wasn't hearing. She was asleep. – "I hope you're alright… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" – he started crying. – "If I hadn't gone out of the village, you wouldn't have injured yourself like this…"

Scoria slowly opened her eyes. Unbeknownst to Andesi, she had heard everything he said.

\- "Andesi…" – Scoria said, making an effort to speak.

\- "Mom!" – Andesi said, looking at her. – Are you…?"

\- "Y-Yes…" – she said.

Blazorus heard Andesi talking to his mother, and came out of the room to check up on her. He went as far as the entrance of Scoria's room, and saw Andesi sitting next to her bed.

\- "Hey." – Blazorus greeted his teacher.

\- "Blazorus!" – Andesi turned to him and greeted him back, along with Scoria. Blazorus proceeded to walk past the bedroom door.

\- "Andesi, why don't you go play with the other kids now? I need to talk to your mother." – Blazorus said, asking Andesi to leave.

\- "… Okay…" – Andesi agreed, not too happy, but left the room anyways. Blazorus, then, proceeded to sit down where Andesi was a minute ago.

\- "Ms. Scoria…" – Blazorus said. – "How are you feeling?"

\- "I'm alright." – Scoria said. – "Listen… I'd like to thank you." – She said, with a smile on her face.

\- "Oh, uhm… it's alright…" – Blazorus said. – "Anyone would have done it."

\- "But I'm glad it was you!" – Scoria said. Blazorus blushed at the sight of Scoria's beautiful smile and scratched his cheek with his index finger in embarrassment. – "I'm glad to trust you."

\- "Th-Thanks, Ms. Scoria!" – Blazorus thanked his teacher, still blushing, but quickly dropped the subject. – "Oh, it's getting late. I better bring the kids back and take them to bed. You should get some rest too. Your leg should be fully healed by tomorrow."

\- "Yes, thanks, Blazorus." – Scoria said. – "Good night."

\- "Good night, Ms. Scoria." – Blazorus said as he smiled to his teacher, and closing the door. Afterwards, he made his way to the garden. – "Alright, kids, playtime's over! Everyone come back inside!"

The kids did so without a word. Each one went to their respective beds, put on their pajamas and buried themselves under the bed sheets.

\- "Is everyone in bed yet?" – Blazorus asked, looking around each bed to see if no one was missing.

\- "Yes, we're here!" – The kids answered in sync.

\- "Alright, good." – As Blazorus grabbed the outside doorknob and proceeded to close it, he wished the kids a good night and finally made his way to his room. As he got there, he proceeded to sit down on his bed and let out a soft sigh. He was looking down at the floor, reflecting about what transpired that day. The battle with the Lava Golem, his power, his true identity. He looked at the palm of his hand. – "Who am I…?" – none of it made sense to him yet. – "Sigh, I'll think about it tomorrow." – He got up to put his pajamas on. In the process, he happened to look at the mirror on the wall of his room and noticed his eyes. Confused, he approached the mirror to examine his eyes from up-close. – "Since when…?" – Then, he realized what Scoria had said.

***FLASHBACK***

\- "And your eyes…"

\- "My eyes…?"

\- "They've changed color…"

***FLASHBACK***

\- "Oh, yeah… Ms. Scoria did say something like that…"

He didn't say anything else, and went to bed. He closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep, which he was quick to do.

Blazorus found himself surrounded by darkness again. He silently looked around, but was familiar with the situation.

\- "Well done, Fireborn." – The same feminine voice echoed through his mind. – "You have successfully awakened to your hidden power. But that doesn't mean you have fully mastered it."

\- "Huh?" – Blazorus was confused. – "Are you talking about the battle with the Lava Golem?"

\- "Precisely." – Ssikari's spirit answered. – "Your awakening as a Fireborn has granted you with the ability to control the power of Fire, which gives you a major responsibility on your shoulders."

\- "Responsibility?" – Blazorus asked. He was rather curious about Ssikari's spirit's story.

\- "Yes. As a Fireborn, once you awaken to your power, you have a destiny to fulfill. In order to do so, you must grow stronger and amplify your magical proficiency if you are to become the Master of Flames."

\- "I see…" – Blazorus seemed quite confused by all he was told.

\- "Are you ready to take the next step on the Path of the Fireborn? Are you ready to fully harness the very Essence of Fire in your heart and become the Master of Flames?"

Blazorus closed his eyes for a moment. He wondered whether it meant leaving Basani for good or not. However, he wasn't going to hesitate in answering.

\- "Yes. I am ready."

\- "You will depart and travel to many places around Lore that had deep connections with the Fireborn, including the Ruins of Shurpu in this island."

Blazorus nodded. He was ready to take on this responsibility and fulfill his destiny as a Fireborn.

\- "One last thing." – Ssikari's spirit warned the young Fireborn. – "Throughout your journey, you will most likely encounter a powerful and fierce enemy. I suggest you avoid him at all costs if you are not ready to face him."

\- "A powerful enemy? May I know who it is?" – Blazorus asked.

\- "You will soon find out." – Ssikari's spirit said. – "Now, run along on your Path of the Fireborn! May the Flame of Courage burn ever bright within you!"

\- "Thank you." – Blazorus thanked the spirit, who vanished afterwards. – "Hmm, the next step…" – Blazorus was deep in thought. – "When the Lava Golem attacked me and Ms. Scoria, I awakened to a power I never knew I had, and now… now I have to go on a quest to know more about this power, and fulfill a "destiny"… I suppose my destiny is to become the Master of Flames… I want to say it sounds exciting, but… Perhaps I can find out more about who I am…"


	6. Learning the Basics

**Chapter 6**

**Learning the Basics**

The next morning, Blazorus talked to Scoria about his "quest". She listened to him without interrupting him once, however, she couldn't help but feel worried about what might happen to him during his "quest".

\- "But, Blazorus, you belong here… the kids will miss you if you go… and so will I…" – she quickly hugs Blazorus from behind, leaning her head on his back.

\- "I'm truly sorry, Ms. Scoria, but I must go. I need to do this to find out who I really am, why I have this power and what my purpose is. But, don't worry. I won't be gone forever. I will be back… eventually."

\- "I hope so…" – Scoria let go of Blazorus. – "If this is what you believe you must do, I won't stop you. That is, if you promise to come back." – She looked at him in those bright orange eyes of his, and couldn't help but smile. Blazorus looked at her in the eyes too and smiled back.

\- "I promise, Ms. Scoria." – Scoria quickly hugged him afterwards. – "I'm going to say goodbye to the kids, and then, I'll be on my way."

The kids were happily playing in the garden, as Blazorus saw out the window of his room. He walked out of his room, towards the garden. He stopped after exiting through the back door and looked at the kids. He didn't want to tell them he was leaving. Scoria saw him standing there by the door, looking down at the floor. Concerned, she went near him.

\- "What wrong, Blazorus?" – Scoria asked, as she put her hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see his teacher's concerned look on her face.

\- "I… I'm not sure I can tell them…" – Blazorus said, turning his look back to the kids.

\- "It's alright. I'll tell them." – Scoria said. Blazorus turned to Scoria again. – "You be on your way, and do what you must do." – she smiled. – "Go."

\- "I will, thank you." – Blazorus hugged Scoria, but it didn't last 5 seconds. He quickly went on his way out of the village, waving to Scoria out in the distance. Scoria waved him back, and only went back to the orphanage after she lost sight of Blazorus.

On his way out of Basani, Blazorus faced many monsters, but none as strong as the Lava Golem. Most of them were mere Sulfur Imps, easy to defeat.

\- "I need to go to the Ruins of Shurpu, if I am to learn the basics of Pyromancy." – Blazorus quickly made haste there. It took him about half an hour by foot to get to the entrance of the ruins.

\- "Whoa…" – He gazed upon the majestic entrance of the ruins and took his first step into them with a little hesitation. But the moment he set foot inside this sanctuary of the Fireborn…

***HEARTBEAT***

Blazorus gulped to this feeling, as if he sensed something very dangerous inside these ruins, but made his way inside nonetheless. He looked around to see lava mages and goblins everywhere he looked.

\- "Strange… I thought this place was deserted…" – He continued walking inside the ruins carefully. Eventually, the lava mages and goblins noticed him and all looked in his direction, as if gazing upon him. He noticed the glares, but none of them were hostile.

Meanwhile, in the Guardian's Chamber…

\- "I sense it. He's here…" – The evil Pyromancer made his way after the visitor of the ruins. Unbeknownst to Blazorus, this was the dangerous enemy he was warned to avoid, however, he was unable to sense him, due to his lack of Pyromancy proficiency.

While Blazorus was exploring the ruins, he stumbled upon a door made of metal. He opened it, and went inside. It was the door to an ancient library. He was stunned by his surroundings: hundreds of shelves with thousands of books about the ancient Pyromancers of Shurpu. He saw his chance there to learn the basics of his power, and eventually become a Pyromancer himself. He walked towards the nearest shelf and grabbed the first book he saw. The cover said "_Secrets of the Ancient Shurpu Arts of Pyromancy_". Intrigued by the title, he opened the book and flipped a few pages.

\- "Wow… this is amazing…" – Blazorus couldn't stop being amazed by the information in the book he was reading. He read on, and on. Most of it was history about Shurpu and how he became a Pyromancer. The arts of Pyromancy came right after. He read the first page of that part out loud.

\- "Hmm… "_To harness the arts of a Pyromancer, one needs great focus and hours of mental training in order to let their magical essence flow through their soul."_ Sounds complicated…" – Blazorus kept reading. – "_To channel a flame and use it as an attack, one must concentrate their magical essence into his hands." _Mhm…" – He dropped the book on the floor and proceeded to do the channeling exercise and closed his eyes.

He remembered the battle with the lava golem. He remembered the Orbital Flames he used to attack the golem. He remembered the surge of energy he felt back then, and tried to channel it again. He opened his eyes to see his hands burning with Fire. He smiled to his success. But he didn't want to stop there.

\- "Let's see…" – Blazorus aimed at the floor and began throwing fireballs. However, they didn't feel like the Orbital Flames. They felt weaker. He was a little disappointed with them, but accepted that fact, anyways, because he knew that he still had a long way to go. Amazed at his success, he grabbed the book and flipped over a few more pages. He learned about different spells, attacks and powerful ultimate moves.

\- "Wow… this is amazing…" – Blazorus said, looking at his hand. – "I can channel Fire and use it like a Pyromancer… Does that mean… I'm a Pyromancer myself…?"

\- "Blazorus!" – A voice echoed through his head.

\- "That voice sounds familiar…"

\- "You have only tried something you read in a book. You can't call yourself a Pyromancer after that."

\- "Right…" – Blazorus said, looking at the book in disappointment. – "Please, help me learn the basics, so I can call myself one, then."

\- "Patience… I can feel your power flowing through me. That means you have already learned how to channel fire."

\- "So, what should I do next?"

\- "Now, you must learn the basic spells. A Pyromancer is not known for just channeling fire. They can use it to cast many offensive and defensive spells."

\- "How do I learn them?"

\- "Because you've learned how to channel fire by yourself, I will give you two of my most basic spells: Fireball and Fire Shield. Practice these two spells long enough, and you will learn more spells by yourself and cast them."

Suddenly, Blazorus found himself surrounded in an aura of flames. Then, a circle of Fire was formed around him, engulfing him in flames. This was Ssikari's spirit giving new spells to Blazorus. It didn't take long before the aura and circle of flames disappeared. Blazorus was born anew, his old clothes are gone, in exchange for a red Pyromancer's robe.

\- "You are now a Pyromancer, which makes you able to effortlessly cast any Fire spell, like the ones I have given you."

\- "Wow…" – Blazorus was amazed at his transformation. He noticed his new clothes and his hands burning with channeled fire. – "Thank you."

\- "Now, I suggest you make your way to the Guardian's Chamber in these ruins. There, you will meet the Shurpu Ring Guardian."

\- "Am I going to have to battle him?" – Blazorus asked, a little scared.

\- "No, no. I want you to simply meet him. You are a Fireborn, correct? It is your duty to meet the Guardian of the Ring."

\- "Alright, then."

Blazorus put the book back in the shelf it belonged to and left the library, eager to see the Guardian of the Ring for himself.


	7. The Magma Spire

**Chapter 7**

**The Magma Spire**

As Blazorus set foot out of the library, he found himself within sight of the Dark Pyromancer who was looking for him.

\- "So, at last we meet." – Xan said. Blazorus looked quickly in Xan's direction and gasped.

\- "Who are you…?" – Blazorus asked.

Xan didn't answer and began to slowly walk towards Blazorus.

\- "There is only one thing you need to know, young Fireborn…" – Xan said, much to Blazorus's surprise. Just how did he know he was a Fireborn? - "I will soon rise from the ashes and consume the whole world in flames. And there is nothing you can do to stop me. Mark my words." – Xan didn't say anything else and walked away. Blazorus looked very confused at what he was just told. Did Xan see him as a threat to his ambitions? Was it because he was a Fireborn?

\- "Blazorus!" – Ssikari's spirit said in his mind. – "Don't let that Pyromancer's words get to you. Focus on the task at hand for now." We will talk later about it."

\- "R-Right!" – Blazorus said, quickly rushing to the Guardian's Chamber.

He later arrived what appeared to be an altar. It was, in fact, the same altar Shurpu went to in his young years. Was this the Guardian's Chamber? Blazorus looked around to see the Fire Elemental statues around him, but he didn't see anything or anyone else, apart from the altar at the end of the corridor.

\- "This…" – Blazorus said, amazed at his surroundings. – "What is this place…?

\- "This is an ancient altar where Shurpu awakened to his power as a Fireborn." – A feminine voice said, but it wasn't Ssikari's spirit. Blazorus turned his head to see a beautiful female Pyromantress with crimson red eyes that matched the color of her Pyromancer robe, and bright yellow hair that matched the flamed decorations on her robe, with a long ponytail that extended all the way to her waist. She looked his age, but was actually a little older, and more proficient with Fire.

\- "Who… Who are you?" – Blazorus asked.

\- "If you want to meet the Guardian of the Ring, come with me." – The girl, not stopping on her tracks nor looking at the Fireborn once. She was headed to the altar where the Sacred Flame of Shurpu was located. Once they both reached the altar, Blazorus turned to the girl.

\- "What's this?"

\- "This is the Sacred Flame of Shurpu. It will lead us to the Guardian's Chamber." – The girl said, extending her hand to the Sacred Flame, but not getting a reaction. – "Hmm…"

\- "What's wrong?" – Blazorus asked, confused about the situation. The girl couldn't get a reaction from the Sacred Flame and open the path to the entrance of the Chamber.

\- "I'm not being able to get a reaction from the Sacred Flame…" – The girl said, with an annoyed tone on her voice. – "Ugh…"

That was when the Sacred Flame started burning bigger and brighter, at the same time as Blazorus's hand was covered in an aura of Fire. He raised his hand in front of her face and looked at it, then at the Sacred Flame, and back at his hand, and the girl did the same, but she looked at his hand, then to Blazorus's face.

\- "You are…" – The girl said, surprised and mesmerized. She stepped aside and gave Blazorus some room, as he approached the Sacred Flame.

Blazorus, now standing in front of the Sacred Flame, proceeded to extend his hand within range to touch it. The Sacred Flame reacted to the Fireborn Essence burning in his hand, and the ruins started to tremble and revealed a large wall opening up in two and revealing large Chamber with an astonishing symmetric architecture. There were large cylindrical pillars in a classical pattern similar to an ancient temple. The walls were all sculpted with large statues of Shurpu in his human years, wearing a Flame Warrior armor, and holding the Magma Spire staff vertically in front of him.

The girl went on to lead Blazorus into the Chamber. The giant lava creature that guards the Ring of Shurpu wasn't there, but there was another altar in the center of the chamber, at a short distance away from the entrance. On said altar, there was a mysterious staff. Its long handle was made from pure hardened magma, with a red ruby on top. The red ruby was also supporting a small ember burning on top of it.

\- "Whoa…" – Blazorus was mesmerized by the details of the Chamber. – "This is the Guardian's Chamber?"

\- "Yes." – The girl said. – "Strange. The Guardian is not here." She was looking at Blazorus and seeing how he was behaving. When the Fireborn noticed the staff on the altar, he ran towards it, eager to inspect it from up close. She ran after him in an effort to stop him. – "W-Wait! Where do you think you're going?"

Blazorus didn't look at her and directed his full attention to the staff. After the girl caught up with him, she directed her attention to the staff as well.

\- "The Magma Spire… what's so special about it?" – She asked, a bit annoyed.

It was then that Blazorus's hand started burning with the Fireborn Essence again, just like with the Sacred Flame. He noticed it, along with the red ruby glowing bright.

\- "What!?" – The girl was quite surprised by the Magma Spire reacting to Blazorus. She looked at him – "So, you are…!"

Blazorus didn't reply and proceeded to grab the handle of the staff. Just as he made contact, the staff itself glowed bright along with Blazorus, who was surrounded by an aura of fire. Suddenly, a deep voice echoed loudly in the Chamber. Both Blazorus and the girl could hear it.

\- "Young Fireborn… your awakening has been long awaited. I,  
Shurpu, Guardian of the Ring and holder of the Magma Spire, bestow upon you with its power. You shall be granted with new abilities to cast in battle. Run along, young Fireborn, and fulfill your destiny as my successor."

Blazorus, now with the Magma Spire in his possession, examined it carefully, mesmerized by every little detail of it. The girl was surprised to see him holding the staff as if it was his own too. She regarded the voice's words. – "Young Fireborn…?" Blazorus turned to the girl.

\- "You still haven't told me your name."

\- "Uhh… right. My name is Siaris. I am a Pyromantress just like you, but I'm not a Fireborn. I have been looking for you for years."

\- "Is that so…?" – Blazorus said, not being very friendly towards her. – "Well, I'm here now."

Siaris didn't like his not-very-friendly tone much. – "Hey, what's with the hostility?" – Blazorus quickly corrected his tone.

\- "Oh, uhm… sorry. It's just, I've only recently awakened to my Fireborn Essence."

\- "I can tell." – Siaris said. – "I know you have many questions for me, but we must leave this place first." She turned to the exit and walked towards it. Blazorus followed right after, while still looking at the Magma Spire. He, then, stops for a while and turned around to look at the altar again. Siaris noticed he had stopped and turned to him. – "Hey, come on!" – Blazorus turned back to Siaris.

\- "I'm coming."

Later, at the entrance of the ruins…

\- "Alright…" – Siaris turned to Blazorus. – "Where are you headed now?"

\- "I don't know…" – Blazorus said, looking at the staff.

\- "I can't believe you actually got to hold the Magma Spire…" – Siaris said.

\- "Is it really hard to do so?" – Blazorus asked.

\- "Well, only the Fireborn can use it. All others won't be able to harness its power."

\- "I see…" – Blazorus said. He, then, felt a strong heartbeat. – "Ugh!" – He gripped his chest.

\- "Hey, are you alright?" – Siaris said, rather concerned.

\- "I felt something…" – Blazorus said, feeling uneasy. – "The village…"

\- "Village?" – Siaris asked, wondering what Blazorus might be talking about.

\- "Basani…" – Blazorus turned to Siaris. – "I need to go back."

\- "Well, alright, but why so suddenly?" – Siaris asked, following Blazorus.

\- "No time to explain! Are you coming?" – Blazorus asked.

\- "Yes. I can't lose sight of you, you know…" – Siaris answered, running after Blazorus.

Just what had happened in Basani for Blazorus to feel uneasy? He makes haste back to Basani as fast as he can to find out what happened.


	8. A Fireborn and a Dragonborn?

**Chapter 8**

**A Fireborn… and a Dragonborn?**

Blazorus sensed something disturbing coming from his village, so, he quickly went on his way back, along with Siaris. It didn't take long for them to arrive.

The first sight of the village led Blazorus to a state of shock. The whole village had been consumed in flames. Most of the buildings were already reduced to ashes. Not even the orphanage escaped the tragic fate.

\- "Oh no…" – Blazorus muttered to himself as he started running towards the orphanage. Siaris followed after. He entered the orphanage in hopes of finding someone. – "Ms. Scoria! Kids!" – no response. Siaris looked around the orphanage and began exploring some rooms, while Blazorus desperately looked for any survivors. The first room Siaris walked into happened to be Scoria's. She noticed a frame on the bed with a photo and, curious about it, picked it up and examined the photo. It was a photo of Scoria, Blazorus, Andesi and a few other kids.

\- "So, he grew up here…" – Siaris muttered to herself.

Meanwhile, after checking every room, Blazorus went to the garden where the kids used to play. He opened the door and… his eyes widened by the terrible sight he was witnessing. The kids were in the garden, but…

\- "AAAAAAHHH!" – Blazorus let out a horrible scream out of shock. Siaris, who was looking at the photo, quickly turned her attention to Blazorus, and dropped the frame on the bed, where she found it, and ran towards the garden to see what was going on.

\- "Blazorus!" – Siaris called out, looking at him standing by the entrance of the garden, and then turned her eyes towards the tragic scene. She gasped in fright and her eyes widened as well. Blazorus looked at every single child who was lying on the grass lifeless. The grass itself was no longer there, as it had been reduced to ashes as well. However, there was one kid who wasn't dead, but was struggling to stand up. Blazorus quickly ran towards him. He kneeled and grabbed his fragile body, turning it to reveal his face.

\- "Andesi…" – Blazorus said, shocked by the state his friend was in.

\- "Bla… zorus…" – Andesi struggled to speak. – "He… took her…"

\- "Took her? Who took her?" – Blazorus asked, trying to find out what had happened.

\- "My mom… Xan… took her…" – Andesi said.

\- "Xan!?"

\- "Was Xan the one who attacked the village and killed the kids?" – Siaris asked Blazorus, who then directed her question to Andesi.

\- "Yes…" – Andesi turned to Blazorus. – "Blazorus… you must… save mom… *cough cough* I beg you…" – Andesi closed his eyes afterwards and died in the arms of Blazorus, who couldn't help but shed a tear for his loss. Siaris was standing there silent.

\- "Andesi…" – Blazorus said, struggling not to cry. – "AAAAAAAAARRRRGH!" – He let out a deafening scream that quickly changed to a dragon's roar. At that moment, a couple of Dragon Wings made out of Fire appeared on his back, startling Siaris.

\- "What!?" – Siaris couldn't believe what she just witnessed. Blazorus let out a roar similar to that of a dragon, and the dragon wings she saw were familiar. They glowed bright yellow, just like the Prime Dragon's wings. – "I can't believe it… He's a Fireborn… and a Dragonborn? No way…"

Blazorus, still holding the deceased Andesi in his arms and crying, said his last words to his friend.

\- "Andesi… I promise… I promise I will save your mother… even if it's the last thing I do… I will bring her back…"

He dropped Andesi's body and stood up.

\- "Siaris…" – Blazorus said.

\- "Blazorus…" – Siaris replied, worried for him.

\- "I need your help." – He turned to her. With his eyes closed, he walked towards Siaris to stand in front of her. He, then, opened his eyes. – "To kill Xan."

Siaris gasped when she saw Blazorus's eyes burning bright orange. She could see the hatred and desire for revenge in the Fireborn's eyes.

\- "But… Xan has the Ring of Shurpu in his possession…" – Siaris warned him.

\- "I know… with it, his power is far beyond reach for any other Pyromancer… But I'm not a normal Pyromancer… I am a Fireborn… but, also… I'm sure you've seen it a moment ago."

\- "Yes… your scream turned into a dragon's roar. And I saw a pair of dragon wings on your back."

\- "In that moment, I felt a new surge of energy flowing through me. It was the Essence of the Fire Dragons."

\- "So, you really are a Dragonborn as well…" – Siaris said.

\- "Yes. That means if I can unite both my Essences into a single one, I will achieve a greater power that any other Pyromancer can only dream of… and I will require your help. I don't know who you are, but…"

\- "Well, count me in." – Siaris said, looking forward to join Blazorus.

Suddenly, Ssikari's spirit appeared behind Blazorus.

\- "Blazorus!" – The spirit called. Blazorus turned around to see Ssikari's spirit in full size right in front of him. – "You have awakened to your Dragonborn Essence. That means you will be able to fully harness the power of the Fire Dragons within you."

\- "I see…" – Blazorus said. – "I could feel it flowing through me…"

\- "You have inherited that power from me." – Ssikari's spirit said, much to Blazorus's surprise. – "I'm sure you will make good use of it."

\- "From you?" – Blazorus was surprised, and began questioning Ssikari's identity. – "Just… who are you?"

\- "You will find out for yourself soon enough." – Ssikari's spirit avoided the question. – "If you want to find out more about your Dragon Essence, I suggest you travel to the Temple of Zellare in Firestorm. There, you will meet the High Priest Hs'Sakar. He will guide you once you arrive."

Blazorus nodded. He turned to Siaris. – "Shall we go?"

\- "Yes, let's go." – Siaris said.

\- "Good luck, Fireborn." – Ssikari's spirit said, before vanishing.

\- "You fools are not going anywhere." – A mysterious person said behind their backs. Blazorus and Siaris turned around to see a Pyromancer wearing a red robe. His head was a dark skull engulfed in a bright flame. His hands were also dark, and his fingers were as sharp as claws. In his right hand, you could see a ring in his index finger.

\- "The Ring of Shurpu…" – Siaris said.

\- "What!?" – Blazorus said, alarmed. – "You mean to tell me this is…?"

\- "Yes, that's him." – Siaris said, channeling fire on her hands, standing ready for battle. Blazorus summons the Magma Spire with his left hand.

\- "I told you I would rise from the ashes and consume the world in flames, didn't I?" – Xan said, directing his words at Blazorus. Aggravated, he recklessly rushes to attack Xan.

\- "Wait, Blazorus! It's too dangerous!" – Siaris warned him, but he wasn't listening.

\- "**Fireball**!" – Blazorus throws a basic fireball at Xan, only to be easily blocked by the villain.

\- "Hahaha! Is this a joke?" – Xan said, mocking Blazorus's weak attack. – "Let me show you how a real Pyromancer fights." – Xan stretches his hand towards the Fireborn. – "**Flame Vortex**!" – He casts one of Shurpu's abilities, easily hitting Blazorus, who had no time to react.

\- "Argh!" – Blazorus falls to the ground in pain.

\- "Blazorus!" – Siaris shouts. She turns to Xan, ready to face him. – "You dare to call yourself a real Pyromancer, when you use abilities than aren't even your own!?"

\- "Silence!" – Xan said. – "You are not worthy of my time. I will bring pain and suffering to this world, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

\- "Ugh… is that so…?" – Blazorus says, making an effort to stand back up. – "I wouldn't be so sure of that."

\- "Blazorus, are you alright?"

\- "I'm fine, Siaris." – Blazorus says. – "Are you going to fight or just stand there trading words with the enemy?"

\- "N-No, I'll fight!" – Siaris says.

Just then, Ssikari's spirit reappears in front of Blazorus to join the battle.

\- "Huh?" – Blazorus and Siaris are taken in by surprise.

\- "We meet again, Xan…" – Ssikari's spirit said.

\- "Hahahaha! What do we have here?" – Xan said, amused with the situation.

\- "I will not let you harm these two Pyromancers." – Ssikari said, glaring at the evil Pyromancer.

\- "Looks like the party is about to get started." – Xan said. He paused for a bit. – "But I guess it'll have to wait." – Xan left.

\- "What!? You coward!" – Blazorus said, angry at his withdrawal.

\- "Let him go." – Siaris said.

\- "What!?" – Blazorus objected. – "You can't be ser—"

\- "You attacked him head on without thinking and look what happened." – Ssikari's spirit said.

\- "Yeah… I know…" – Blazorus said.

\- "That attack… the Flame Vortex, was it?" – Siaris asked. – "It used to be one of Shurpu's unique abilities. I wonder how Xan was able to use it…"

\- "It is due to his possession of the Ring." – Ssikari's spirit said. – "Not only can its bearer increase their power, but also learn all of Shurpu's unique abilities."

\- "I see…" – Siaris said.

\- "Blazorus…" – Ssikari's spirit turned to the Fireborn. – "As you gain power, you will learn many of Shurpu's unique abilities, as well as mine. Please, remember that."

\- "I see…" – Blazorus said. – "Anyway, thank you for saving us."

\- "You're welcome. Just make sure you don't recklessly face an enemy you can't defeat again."

\- "I won't." – Blazorus said.

\- "In any way, we must head for Firestorm." – Siaris reminded him.

\- "Good luck, Fireborn." – Ssikari said before vanishing.

\- "Can you walk?" – Siaris asked.

\- "Yes, I'm fine." – Blazorus said. – "Now, let's go."

Blazorus and Siaris proceeded to make their way to the Temple of Zellare in Firestorm, in search of the power of the Dragonborn.


	9. Arrival at Firestorm

**Chapter 9**

**Arrival at Firestorm**

The path to the realm of the Prime Fire Dragon was a lot harder and more challenging than Blazorus and thought. Most of the time, he found himself fighting his way through the Etherstorm wastes, but then again, it was a good way for him to practice and sharpen his skills.

\- "Hah! Nice one, Blazorus!" – Siaris praised his **Ignition** move, which requires his whole body to channel a great amount of Fire in order to unleash it and cast an explosion around him, great for quickly sweeping large waves of monsters. However, it also drains a bit of the caster's stamina, so, it's best not to use it too often.

\- "Whew, thanks…" – Blazorus said. It was quite noticeable how much stamina Ignition drained from him, but he could still fight. – "These monsters sure are persistent."

\- "Leave them to me!" – Siaris said, getting ready to battle the large wave of monsters. She jumps upwards and, extending her arms sideways and rotating her body quickly in midair… - "**Orbital Flames**!" – she suddenly starts throwing quick fireballs towards the entire wave of monsters. The fireballs were like a boomerang too. They would go back to Siaris after hitting a monster, allowing her to throw that same fireball again in whichever direction she desired. Most monsters were quickly obliterated, but the wave wasn't cleared yet.

\- "Whoa…" – Blazorus was amazed at Siaris's Orbital Flames. – "Where did you learn that?" – Siaris chuckles and turns to Blazorus with a smile on her face.

\- "Hehe, with training, silly. Don't worry, you'll learn some of my skills too as you grow stronger."

\- "If you say so…" – Blazorus acknowledged, although a little disappointed to see her fellow Pyromancer still way ahead of him. – "Well, better leave the remaining monsters to me. I don't want you to get all the fun."

\- "Sure, let's see what you've got!" – Siaris said, challenging Blazorus to do a better move than hers. It sounds like she was a little competitive about these things, but Blazorus wasn't intending on doing so.

\- "Leave that to me." – Blazorus extended his right arm forward and channeled Fire on his hand, pointing it at the last remaining monsters. – "**Conflagration**!" – The monsters are then cast ablaze. Siaris carefully watches without saying a word, but nevertheless, she was rather impressed. In the midst of the monsters' squeals of pain from Conflagration, Blazorus raises his Magma Spire and, as its ruby glows bright… - "**Withering Blast**!" – The monsters explode due to the massive blast they've taken from being conflagrated and the Withering Blast spell itself. – "Whew… there." – Blazorus turns to Siaris. – "So, how was it?"

It was very clear on Siaris's face that she was rather impressed by what Blazorus had just pulled off, but he still waited for her to say anything.

\- "Fantastic! Simply excellent! I must admit, I am quite impressed." – Siaris praised Blazorus's improvement. – "You remembered to cast them ablaze first."

\- "Thanks. At this pace, I'll be able to defeat Xan in no time."

\- "Haha, don't be so quick to jump to conclusions, silly! You still have a long way to go." – Siaris said, poking Blazorus's head with her knuckle. – "Alright, let's get going to Firestorm. We still have a ways to go."

\- "Right, let's go."

Blazorus and Siaris continued on in their path. They were silent for a while, until Blazorus asked a certain question.

\- "Say, Siaris… I remember you told me, back in the Ruins of Shurpu…"

***FLASHBACK***

\- "You still haven't told me your name."

\- "Uhh… right. My name is Siaris. I am also a Pyromancer, but I'm not a Fireborn. **I've been looking for you for years**."

***FLASHBACK***

\- "That has been bugging me for quite a while now. You said you've been looking for me for years, so, I guess the most logical question is… who are you?"

\- "I know you have many questions for me, but, I won't be the one to answer. You will see for yourself once we get there." – Siaris sounded quite serious, so, Blazorus dropped the subject and trusted her.

\- "Well, alright." – Blazorus was a little disappointed, but he knew he had to be patient.

\- "Ah, I see the Temple! Firestorm's right up ahead!" – Siaris said, cheering Blazorus up.

\- "Great! What's our first step once we get there?" – Blazorus asked Siaris.

\- "Don't tell me you've forgotten what that spirit said." – Siaris said, a little annoyed. – "We need to get to the Temple of Zellare and speak to Hs'Sakar."

\- "Oh, that's right…" – Blazorus said.

Upon arrival at Firestorm, Blazorus and Siaris headed to the Temple. The realm itself was peaceful, or so it seemed. They've arrived at the entrance of the majestic Temple, but only Siaris entered it. Blazorus froze there, gazing upon the beautiful architecture of this Sanctuary.

\- "Blazorus, let's go." – Siaris said, causing Blazorus to focus his attention on her.

\- "Oh, uhm… I'm coming!" – Blazorus said, running towards Siaris.

The inside of the Temple was just as majestic as the outside. Many statues of Dragons covered the walls around them, but what caught their attention the most was the big altar at the center. Behind it, there was a much bigger statue than the other ones. Blazorus gazed upon it, wondering who it might be.

\- "This is the Temple of Zellare." – Siaris began giving Blazorus a history lesson. – "This is his statue. Many years ago, he was the Prime Fire Dragon of Firestorm, with Ssikari as his Priestess. Upon her birth, Zellare bestowed his blessing upon her and made her his Dragon Priestess, carrying the Prime Dragon's power within her. I guess you could say Zellare's blessing was the Dragon Essence of the Priestess."

\- "I see…" – Blazorus said.

\- "One day, Zellare passed away, and Ssikari became the High Priestess and ruler of Firestorm, taking Zellare's place, although she was human."

\- "Although Zellare passed away, his spirit lived on through the Dragon Priestess." – Said a third voice that came out of nowhere, or so it seemed. Both Siaris and Blazorus turned around to see a Dragonkind priest with bright yellow stripes in his head and neck and wearing a red robe with bright yellow stripes for decoration. It was Hs'Sakar, the High Priest of the Prime Fire Dragon.

\- "Oh, High Priest." – Siaris greeted Hs'Sakar, bowing before him.

\- "Welcome home, Priestess." – Hs'Sakar greeted Siaris, also bowing.

\- "What!?" – Blazorus was shocked to see Siaris being called Priestess. – "You're a Dragon Priestess!?"

\- "Yes, I am." – Siaris said. – "I am a Dragonborn, just like you."

\- "Oh, you must be the young Pyromancer the Priestess told me about. It is an honor to meet you." – Hs'Sakar greeted Blazorus, bowing before him.

\- "Oh, uhm… it's an honor, sir." – Blazorus bowed before the High Priest, returning the bow. – "What brings you here?"

\- "I was told to come here by the spirit of Ssikari." – Blazorus said.

\- "The spirit of Ssikari, you say?" – Hs'Sakar said, doubting the young man, but not for long. Ssikari's spirit appeared right before them, much to Hs'Sakar's surprise.

\- "Hs'Sakar…" – Ssikari's spirit said. – "It's good to see you again."

\- "High Priestess…! I cannot believe my eyes… I've never thought I'd live to see this day…" – Hs'Sakar said, a bit emotional. The spirit of Ssikari smiled.

\- "You haven't changed a bit." – She said, then turned to Blazorus. – "Blazorus. This is where you'll learn about your past and your true identity."

\- "Really?" – Blazorus said, a bit anxious.

\- "Yes. Hs'Sakar and I will tell you everything. We know you have many questions for us. Siaris will also help you if necessary."

\- "I see…" – Blazorus said. – "Then, I believe this is the best time for you to tell me everything."

\- "Indeed it is." – Siaris said. – "To answer one of your questions, I am Siaris, a Priestess in the Temple of Zellare, under the guidance of Hs'Sakar. I bear the blessing of the current Prime Fire Dragon, Ssikari, since birth, so, you could say I am a Dragonborn, making me Ssikari's successor as the Dragon Priestess."

\- "I see…" – Blazorus turned to Ssikari's spirit and Hs'Sakar. – "Now… I believe I have many more questions for both of you…"


	10. Who am I?

**Chapter 10**

**Who am I?**

\- "Ssikari, please tell me who you really are." – Blazorus asked Ssikari's spirit.

\- "Very well…" – Ssikari reflected and carefully composed her story in order not to miss a single detail. – "Long ago, I was in Siaris's position as the Dragon Priestess. I was the ruler of Firestorm due to being the bearer of the Blessing of Zellare, the God of the Fire Dragons. Hs'Sakar here was my counselor.

\- "Was Zellare alive back then?" – Siaris asked in curiosity.

\- "Yes, he was. He was not only the God of the Fire Dragons, but also the Prime Fire Dragon at the time."

\- "I see…" – Siaris said.

\- "Anyway, when I was little, I traveled to Basani and started learning Pyromancy. I wanted to harness the same power the Dragons did. That was also when I met Shurpu, the Guardian of the Ring, or should I say, Shurpu's spirit. He had somehow turned into a giant creature made out of lava. I approached the creature, and then heard a voice in my head as it was looking at me. Shurpu's spirit was telepathically communicating with me."

***FLASHBACK***

\- "What brings you here, young one?" – Shurpu's spirit asked young Ssikari.

\- "I… I want to become a Pyromancer!" – Ssikari said.

\- "For what purpose?" – Shurpu's spirit asked.

\- "My home land has deep connections to the Element of Fire, and since I am a Dragonborn, I want to harness the same power the Fire Dragons in my land have."

\- "Are you aware that the path of a Pyromancer is extremely difficult? Many of those who stood where you stand right now took on this path and all succumbed to the insanity to the power they've possessed."

\- "I am well aware of it all, otherwise, I wouldn't be standing here before you, mighty Guardian."

Shurpu chuckled. – "Your words are wise for someone so young as you." – The giant creature stepped aside afterwards. – "Please, step forward towards the altar in front of you." – The altar had a sacred ember on it, ready for Ssikari to embrace.

***FLASHBACK***

\- "And that's when I harnessed the power of the Fire Dragons." – Ssikari's spirit said. – "Shurpu took me under his wing and taught me everything he knew."

\- "I see." – Blazorus said.

\- "Afterwards, when I returned to Firestorm as a full-fledged Pyromancer, I came to this temple to meet Hs'Sakar and be crowned the ruler of Firestorm. Months later, Xan attacked our land. I sent my Living Fires to try and stop him, but only to see them fail and make me leave the temple and face him myself. He had the Ring of Shurpu in his possession and use Shurpu's abilities against me. The only way to stop him was to use my ultimate ability, **Blazing Extinction**, and sacrifice my Life Essence in order to strengthen it. As I cast it, Shurpu's spirit somehow powered me up, allowing me to defeat Xan. However, even though I relinquished my Life Essence to do so, my spirit lived on, and I had reincarnated into the Prime Fire Dragon living today in the heart of the Volcano."

\- "Right…" – Blazorus pondered the whole story. – "And where do I come in? I wasn't able to relate that story to my birth."

\- "A few millennia later, our spirits combined both our Life Essences in order to create a new living being, our offspring. He was to be the first Fire Dragonborn in history."

\- "Blazorus, you're both a Fireborn and a Dragonborn, are you not?" – Siaris asked Blazorus. He didn't answer. His expression was blank. – "Blazorus, are you okay?"

\- "The first… Fire Dragonborn…?" – Blazorus was shocked. – "Are you talking about… me?"

\- "Wait, you've mentioned "our spirits". What do you mean by that? Who's the other party in "our"?" – Siaris asked Ssikari's spirit.

Ssikari let out a chuckle. – "The other party in "our" would be the Fireborn himself, Shurpu's spirit."

\- "What!?" – Blazorus and Siaris said simultaneously.

\- "Are you saying… I am descendent from both you and Shurpu?" – Blazorus asked.

\- "That's right." – Ssikari's spirit said. – "You are the result of the merge of our Life Essences. You are our offspring."

Blazorus stood silent, looking at Ssikari's spirit, who smiled at him.

\- "Hello, son." – Ssikari's spirit said.

\- "Mother…" – Blazorus said, struggling to hold back a tear. There was a moment of silence, during which the young Fireborn snapped out of it and returned to his normal demeanor.

\- "That would mean his father would be…" – Siaris said.

\- "Shurpu, the Guardian of the Ring." – Hs'Sakar finished Siaris's sentence.

\- "My father, huh?" – Blazorus said. – "I wish I could have met him…"

\- "Don't worry about it, son." – Ssikari's spirit said. – "You will be able to meet him one day."

\- "Well, that explains why you're both a Fireborn and a Dragonborn." – Siaris said.

\- "In any case…" – Hs'Sakar said. – "I hope all your questions have been answered by Ssikari's story."

\- "They have, High Priest. Thank you." – Blazorus said. Hs'Sakar closed his eyes as if he was sensing something.

\- "What is it, Hs'Sakar? Do you sense something?" – Siaris asked the High Priest.

\- "I can hear it." – Hs'Sakar said. – "I can hear the Prime Fire Dragon's call."

\- "What…?" – Siaris said. – "The Dragon's call?"

\- "Huh? What is it?" – Blazorus asked, confused.

\- "It would appear the dragon "me" is calling the Dragonborn." – Ssikari's spirit said, causing everyone to look at Blazorus.

\- "Wh-What's going on?" – Blazorus asked. – "Why is everyone looking at me?"

\- "The Prime Fire Dragon is calling for you, young one." – Hs'Sakar said. – "You must go to her."

\- "Huh? Why's that?"

\- "So you can receive her blessing." – Ssikari's spirit said. – "You are her son, after all."

\- "Right."

\- "Siaris, please take Blazorus to the Prime Fire Dragon." – Hs'Sakar said.

\- "Very well." – Siaris said, then turned to Blazorus. – "Shall we get going?"

\- "Alright." – Blazorus said, his voice trembling a bit. Blazorus and Siaris both left the Temple afterwards.

\- "Hmm…" – Hs'Sakar was pondering something.

\- "What's wrong, Hs'Sakar?" – Ssikari's spirit asked.

\- "With the blessing of the Prime Dragon herself, I sense Blazorus's Dragon Essence will grow with power. I pray for Firestorm to prosper once again as a result."

\- "What do you mean by that?" – Ssikari's spirit asked, concerned about her land.

\- "A major threat has been terrorizing the entire province of Etherstorm, and Firestorm is no exception."

\- "A major threat?"

\- "Yes, he has appeared a few centuries after your demise. The creatures of Firestorm have been living every day with fear in their minds. Fear to die. For this threat is as dangerous as death itself."

\- "What…? That sounds horrible!" – Ssikari's spirit was shocked by Hs'Sakar's words. – "You don't mean… him, do you?"

\- "Who, Xan? I'm afraid not. The threat is a dragon. A dragon different from any other in Etherstorm. He was an outcast to everyone, which eventually led him to his rebellion against his home. Now, every single creature who despised him now fear him."

\- "I have never heard of such a dragon…" – Ssikari's spirit said. – "Isn't there any way to defeat him?"

\- "There is now." – Hs'Sakar said. – "The Dragonborn with the Prime Dragon's blessing will be able to face and defeat Desoloth the Final."

\- "Desoloth the Final?" – Ssikari's spirit asked.

\- "Now that Blazorus has arrived and is on his way to Ssikari, a light of hope is glowing over Etherstorm."

\- "He is not ready to face such a strong opponent yet." – Ssikari's spirit said.

\- "He will be." – Hs'Sakar said. – "He will be…"


	11. Ssikari's Blessing

**Chapter 11**

**Ssikari's Blessing**

\- "I feel nervous for some reason…" – Blazorus said, as he was on the way to the Firestorm Volcano with Siaris.

\- "Hehe, no wonder." – Siaris said. – "Anyone would be nervous to meet the Prime Fire Dragon in person."

\- "Well, it's not exactly that… it's just… I'm meeting my mother in person."

\- "Not exactly in person, per se. It's more like her reincarnated Dragon form."

\- "Yeah, I guess…"

Halfway through, they ran into a few more waves of monsters.

\- "Great…" – Blazorus said, summoning the Magma Spire in his left hand.

\- "Do you want me to leave them to you?" – Siaris asked, hoping to see Blazorus's improved abilities.

\- "If you don't mind…" – Blazorus answered, focused on the monster waves. There were Sulfur Imps everywhere and a few Living Fire warriors too. Since the wave was rather larger than the ones he faced before arriving at Firestorm, Blazorus saw himself hesitant to attack.

\- "What is it?" – Siaris asked.

\- "It's reckless to charge in against a wave this large." – Blazorus said. He waited for the enemy to make the first move, so that he had an opening for a counter attack. Just then, one of the Living Fires points his sword towards Blazorus, leading to a group of Sulfur Imps to charge. Blazorus saw his chance to attack here. – "Here's my chance!" – Blazorus lifted the Magma Spire. – "**Burning Ward**!" – The Fireborn engulfs himself in a flaming sphere, causing all the enemy damage to be reflected back at him. The Sulfur Imps squeal with every hit they land on the Ward. As his Burning Ward fades, Blazorus hits the floor with the Magma Spire, throwing the attacking Imps far away, killing them.

\- "Good move!" – Siaris praised Blazorus and kept on watching.

\- "Thanks." – Blazorus answered, not taking his eyes off the monsters. He channeled a fireball in his free hand as he looked towards a Living Fire. Siaris managed to notice he was targeting a Living Fire.

\- "Yes, that's it! Focus on the Living Fires!"

As the fireball is fully channeled, Blazorus aims at the Living Fire he targeted, throwing it at full speed. The Living Fire has no time to dodge it and gets hit on the chest, causing him to fall to the ground.

\- "Argh, I don't have time for this!" – Blazorus said, frustrated by the monsters blocking his path.

The battle went on for quite some time, but it eventually came to an end. Blazorus was gasping for air.

\- "Are you alright?" – Siaris asked, patting the Fireborn in the back.

\- "Yes, I am… *pant pant* fine. *pant*" – Blazorus said. – "Come on… *pant* we have to get to the Prime Fire Dragon."

Blazorus and Siaris continued on their way, and it didn't take long for them to see the volcano up ahead.

\- "Look! There it is." – Siaris said, grabbing Blazorus by the hand and pulling him while running towards the entrance. – "Come on!"

\- "W-Wait, Siaris!" – Blazorus said, almost tripping forwards.

Upon arrival at the entrance, Siaris turned serious and warned Blazorus to be careful while inside the volcano.

\- "Inside this volcano, there are hundreds of Firestorm offsprings, and we will need to be careful and discrete so we do not disturb them."

Blazorus nodded and both made their way in. Siaris took the lead. The volcano inside was scorching hot, naturally, and as he followed Siaris, Blazorus looked around to see the Firestorm offsprings. They were quite cute, and he could also see some eggs that hadn't hatched yet. Eventually, they reached the chamber of the Prime Fire Dragon. Siaris stepped aside and made way for Blazorus to go first. As he entered, he gazed upon the mighty Fire Dragon Ssikari. Siaris followed right after.

\- "Behold, the Prime Fire Dragon of Firestorm." – Siaris said.

\- "Wow… So, that is my mother current form…" – Blazorus said.

\- "That's right." – Siaris said. – "This is where you come in. You must go meet her."

\- "Alright…" – Blazorus said.

The Prime Fire Dragon was looking at Blazorus as well, as she felt his Dragonborn Essence the moment he entered the Chamber. Blazorus jumped down and walked slowly towards the Dragon. Siaris was only watching from the entrance.

\- "You are…" – Blazorus heard Ssikari's voice from the Dragon. She was telepathically communicating with him.

\- "Mother…" – Blazorus muttered to himself.

\- "So, you have finally come. I have been waiting for you… my son." – Ssikari said. – "Legend says a Dragonborn blessed by their Prime Fire Dragon will become as powerful as a Dragon God."

\- "A Dragon God?" – Blazorus asked.

\- "Dragon Gods are the most powerful of all Dragons. No living being can be as nearly powerful as them. But you are no ordinary living being. You are a Dragonborn, carrying the Dragon God's Essence in your heart."

\- "I see."

\- "Extend your hand, my son, for I shall bestow upon you my blessing."

Blazorus extended his hand like Ssikari said. Ssikari stood up and raised her wings. A sacred ember emerged from the Dragon's front paws, slowly going into Blazorus's hand. As soon as the young Fireborn grasped the ember, he underwent another transformation. Siaris was rather amazed at what was transpiring before her. Blazorus's clothing had changed. He was now wearing the Flame Warrior armor, and with it, a new weapon: The Fire Dragon's Hunger. It held many of Zellare's and Ssikari's abilities within it. Lastly, he grew a pair of Dragon Wings on his back, very similar to those of Ssikari.

\- "Amazing…" – Siaris muttered to herself.

The transformation was complete. Blazorus had fully received Ssikari's blessing and with it, new powers. Ssikari's spirit appeared before him.

\- "Rise, my son."

Blazorus stood up and faced Ssikari's spirit.

\- "Now that you've received my blessing, you must go to Hs'Sakar. He has a very important message for you."

\- "Yes, mother. I shall go at once." – He flew back to the entrance to meet Siaris.

\- "Well done." – Siaris said, smiling at Blazorus, who nodded back at her. – "Alright, now we're heading back to the Temple."

\- "Yes, I know."

As they left the Volcano, they Siaris felt something strange.

\- "What is it, Siaris?"

\- "I sense something… He's here." – Siaris said, grabbing Blazorus by the hand and pulling him. – "We have to hurry!"

\- "W-Wait! Who's here?" – Blazorus asked.

\- "No time to explain! Come on!"

Just then, they saw a giant dragon soaring through the sky above them. It was huge, unlike any other dragon ever seen.

\- "Whoa!" – Blazorus said, startled by his sight of the giant dragon.

\- "That's him!" – Siaris said.

\- "Him who!?"

\- "Hs'Sakar will tell you everything when we get to the Temple!"

That giant dragon they saw was Desoloth the Final himself. He must have been aware of the Dragonborn's arrival. Dark times are approaching Etherstorm, and preparing to war would be a good decision.


	12. The Power of a Dragonborn

**Chapter 12**

**The Power of a Dragonborn**

Blazorus and Siaris arrived at the Temple of Zellare. Blazorus had gained new abilities with Ssikari's Blessing, abilities that were concealed within a new weapon he wielded: The Fire Dragon's Hunger. It is said that it concealed Ssikari's most powerful abilities. However, Blazorus had yet to learn how to wield his new blade.

\- "Oh, you're back." – Ssikari's spirit said. She had stayed at the Temple with Hs'Sakar.

Blazorus and Siaris were gasping for air.

\- "Is something the matter?" – Hs'Sakar asked.

\- "Desoloth… is here." – Siaris said.

\- "Desoloth, you say?" – Ssikari's spirit asked, a bit worried.

\- "Yes. We've seen a giant dragon fly above us on our way back. He was unlike anything I had ever seen before." – Blazorus said.

\- "Hmm…" – Hs'Sakar is pondering something. – "I don't know what brought him here, but I suggest that you prepare for battle. I see that you are wielding a new weapon with new abilities. It would be most wise for you to learn what new abilities you've gained and how to use them properly in battle. I believe some training is in order."

\- "Leave that to me." – Ssikari's spirit said. – "Since he's wielding a power that was once mine, I would be the most appropriate instructor of all of us."

\- "Right." – Hs'Sakar said.

\- "So, when does my training start?" – Blazorus asked.

\- "It starts right now." – Ssikari's spirit said. – "Follow me to the entrance of the Temple. I will give you the training you need there."

Blazorus and Ssikari walked out of the temple, to the bottom of the entrance stairway, and then faced each other as if they were going to battle each other. Siaris and Hs'Sakar stayed on top of the stairway, witnessing the young one's training.

\- "Blazorus, can you feel the power coursing through you?" – Ssikari's spirit said.

Blazorus closed his eyes to concentrate on said power. – "Yes… I can feel it."

\- "That power is not under your full control. However, you do not know how to use it yet. That's why we are here."

\- "Right." – Blazorus said.

\- "The most basic principle of my power is to call upon the strength of the ancient Dragons of this land in order to strengthen your attacks. Follow my lead." – Ssikari said. Immediately after, she began to perform a number of gestures with her hands. Blazorus tried to follow as best as he could, but it was much harder than it looked.

Some time passed until he finally got it right.

\- "Good." – Ssikari's spirit said. – "Now, you'll finally be able to channel your abilities within your blade. I want you to use an ability to attack me."

\- "Are you serious?" – Blazorus asked, not agreeing with Ssikari's spirit's idea.

\- "Hehe, don't worry. I'm a spirit. I can't possibly be hurt by any attack."

\- "Alright, then… I'll give it my best shot."

Blazorus closes his eyes to concentrate, lifting the Fire Dragon's Hunger upwards and casting his ability on the tip of the blade. Ssikari's spirit is watching closely. So are Siaris and Hs'Sakar at the top of the entrance stairway. Not long afterwards, Blazorus channels 3 fireballs at the tip of the blade. Siaris widened his eyes, as it looked familiar to her.

\- "That's…" – Siaris muttered to herself.

The fireballs started spinning around in a circular motion. As Blazorus opened his eyes, he unleashed a huge swing, launching the fireballs towards Ssikari's spirit.

\- "**Orbital Flames**!" – Blazorus launches the three fireballs one after the other, swinging his blade every time each one came back at him to launch them again at the enemy. The fireballs never really hit Ssikari's spirit, though. They only passed through her, without ever dealing the slightest amount of damage.

\- "Wow…" – Siaris was rather impressed by the way Blazorus handled the Orbital Flames.

\- "Good!" – Ssikari's spirit said, causing Blazorus to stop. – "Very impressive."

Blazorus was catching his breath.

\- "What you've just cast is called Orbital Flames." – Ssikari's spirit said.

\- "I see…" – Blazorus said. – "It looked quite familiar." – He then turned to Siaris, and then back at Ssikari's spirit.

The training went on for a few hours. As Blazorus learned his many new abilities, he found ways to make them stronger. Ssikari's spirit believed he was ready for a real battle.

\- "Are you ready to test your skills in battle?" – Ssikari's spirit asked.

\- "Yes, I am." – Blazorus answered, looking forward to it.

\- "Good. Then, I shall summon a powerful dragon to battle you. Remember, you must not hold back."

Blazorus nodded in acknowledgement. Afterwards, Ssikari proceeded to summon a powerful Fire Dragon. Blazorus could not help but feel intimidated, but so were Siaris and Hs'Sakar.

\- "What is that…?" – Siaris asked. – "I've never seen anything like that before…"

\- "As a Dragon Priestess, Ssikari has the power to summon the ancient dragon deities. The one she just summoned is Kelthurax."

\- "Kelthurax…?" – Siaris muttered to herself.

\- "This is Kelthurax, one of the most ancient dragon gods in Firestorm." – Ssikari's spirit said to Blazorus. – "He will be your final test."

\- "Right…" – Blazorus eyed the giant fire dragon. He couldn't believe he was going up against something so powerful. – "Here I go."

Blazorus summoned his Dragon Wings to give him more agility in battle. He ran towards Kelthurax, who unleashed a deafening roar that caused him and the others to cover their ears. Blazorus couldn't move, but he didn't wait long for the roar to fade. He took his chance to deal the first strike of the battle. Soaring high to meet Kelthurax's head, Blazorus unleashed a swarm of swings and slashes, each one leaving a scorching hot trail of fire to mark the swings' trajectories. Kelthurax turned his head left and right out of reaction. He was seriously getting hurt by the Fire Dragon's Hunger's swarm of slashes. But it didn't last long. Kelthurax turned to face Blazorus and unleashed a scorching hot breath of Fire, causing Blazorus to fall down.

\- "Oh, no!" – Siaris said. – "Blazorus!"

Ssikari's spirit remained silent. She deeply believed Blazorus would emerge victorious. It was just a waiting game.

\- "Grr…" – Blazorus groaned, struggling to get back up. – "I don't… believe this…" – using his blade as support, he manages to stand up. Eyeing the mighty dragon, Blazorus plans his next move carefully. – "Did I… hurt him at all?"

Kelthurax is eyeing Blazorus very carefully as well. After recovering, Blazorus channels a spell on his blade. At the tip, he channels a small blue flame tornado, gradually increasing in size.

\- "What is that!?" – Siaris asked.

\- "Hmm… That is not one of Ssikari's abilities…" – Hs'Sakar said.

\- "Then, where did that come from?" – Siaris asked.

\- "It could be that Blazorus is starting to develop his own abilities out of desperation for survival. Kelthurax is immensely powerful. Defeating him will not be easy at all…"

\- "I see…" – Siaris muttered to herself, carefully watching Blazorus's move.

Blazorus's tornado eventually grew big enough for him to cast. Afterwards, he starts spinning his body rapidly, in order to give the tornado enough momentum to travel against Kelthurax.

\- "**Wing's Fury**!" – Blazorus launches the tornado in the direction of Kelthurax. Wing's Fury successfully lands on the Fire Dragon, dealing quite some damage. Kelthurax roars in pain.

\- "Yes!" – Siaris cheered.

The cheers didn't last long, however, because once the tornado faded, Kelthurax lifted himself up and took flight. Blazorus eyed his opponent carefully. After taking some height, Kelthurax proceeds to dive down at Blazorus at full speed.

\- "So, you want to take me head on, huh?" – Blazorus muttered to himself. – "Let's go, then."

He took flight, extending the Fire Dragon's hunger at Kelthurax and flying at full speed against him. The moment was quite short, as their clash was extremely fierce. No one could see the outcome of their clash, as they had been blinded by an intense light of Fire. Siaris and Hs'Sakar worried for Blazorus, and hoped to see him still standing after the light fades.


	13. The Prophecy

**Chapter 13**

**The Prophecy**

The clash between Blazorus and Kelthurax, the ancient dragon deity, has caused an intense light to flash above the ground they were battling on. As the light fades, a very unexpected scene was revealed.

\- "What…? That's…!" – Siaris said out of shock.

\- "This is indeed intriguing…" – Hs'Sakar said.

Ssikari's spirit was silently watching, waiting for the outcome of that fierce battle. Kelthurax was immensely powerful, but so was Blazorus, since he had a power equal to that of Zellare, and Ssikari's blessing. In the sky, neither Blazorus nor Kelthurax had fallen from their clash. They were both engaging in an arm wrestling-like competition to see who had a superior strength. Blazorus was groaning as he struggled to get the upper hand. Surprisingly, Kelthurax was struggling as well.

\- "This is amazing…" – Siaris said.

Blazorus's blade suddenly started glowing with a burning aura around it. As he groaned loud, he managed to push Kelthurax away, causing the dragon to fall down to the ground, much to everyone's surprise, even Ssikari's spirit's.

\- "This ends here!" – Blazorus shouted while soaring high in the sky, looking down at the fallen dragon. He raised his sword high, channeling an astonishing amount of power. The Fire Dragon's Hunger was ready to deliver the final blow.

\- "This is…" – Siaris said.

As his blade was fully charged, Blazorus soared higher, and then quickly changed direction, diving down to the ground at full speed. His blade was pointed at Kelthurax, who was not moving since he lost their clash.

\- "**Towering Inferno**!" – Blazorus shouted as he landed on the ground right next to Kelthurax. The Fire Dragon's Hunger unleashed its energy, releasing huge and scorching hot piles of flames all around Blazorus in a circular area, catching Kelthurax in it. Kelthurax roared in pain and in defeat.

\- "What was that!?" – Siaris asked.

\- "I don't know." – Hs'Sakar said. – "But it was a very impressive move."

Blazorus stands up victorious, breathing for air. The battle with Kelthurax was finally over, and not only did he emerge victorious, but he also awakened new abilities inside him. He looked at his hand for a few seconds, then up at the air, clenching his hand in a fist.

\- "Well done, my son." – Ssikari's spirit said. – "You have grown strong since we first met. Defeating an ancient dragon deity like that is something no one but a very few can achieve. I'm proud of you." – She smiled.

\- "Thank you… mother." – Blazorus said, smiling back at her.

Siaris and Hs'Sakar were rather impressed. The former ran down the stairs to give Blazorus a hug.

\- "Hahaaaa, you did it!" – Siaris said, hugging Blazorus out of happiness.

\- "Whoa, Siaris!" – Blazorus was caught off guard.

\- "I was so worried you might have not made it…" – Siaris said.

\- "There was no need to worry…" – Blazorus said.

\- "Now, I believe he is ready, Priestess." – Hs'Sakar said to Ssikari's spirit, turning his sight to Blazorus afterwards.

\- "Yes, I think so too." – Ssikari's spirit said, looking at her son.

\- "Uhm… ready for what…?" – Blazorus said, confused.

\- "I shall explain everything inside the Temple." – Hs'Sakar said, climbing the stairs into the Temple. The others followed. Once inside, Hs'Sakar led the group to Zellare's altar.

\- "So, what am I ready for?" – Blazorus asked. Hs'Sakar was facing the altar and had his back turned at him.

\- "Thousands of years ago, Etherstorm witnessed the birth of Desoloth, the first Dragon ever to harness all four Elements: Fire, Water, Air and Earth. Due to his multi-elemental attribute, Desoloth was never accepted in any part of our province. He was eventually outcast, causing him to develop a feeling of hatred within his heart, hatred for his kind, who never accepted him, and a desire for revenge. 500 years later, Desoloth returned to spread terror across Etherstorm. It was then that a prophecy was written, that a warrior with the power of a Dragon God in his heart and the blessing of Prime Dragon of their Element would rise as the savior of Etherstorm and quell the rage of the multi-elemental dragon forever, restoring peace and prosperity to our province. That warrior…" – he, then, turns to face Blazorus – "… is you."

\- "I see… so, is it part of my destiny to defeat this Desoloth?"

\- "In a way…" – Hs'Sakar said. – "Defeating Desoloth will be a thousand times harder than your battle with Kelthurax earlier. You will need to make perfect preparations for war, if Desoloth is to be defeated."

\- "Leave that to me." – Blazorus said.

\- "Are you sure?" – Siaris asked.

\- "I'm absolutely sure. If defeating Desoloth means becoming more powerful, I will do it. I will need to master my abilities if I am to defeat my nemesis."

\- "Nemesis?" – Siaris asked. – "Oh, right… Xan."

\- "Yeah… Xan…" – Blazorus said, getting angry with the memory of the insane Pyromancer.

\- "In any case…" – Hs'Sakar said. – "You need to get some rest. You will need to be in perfect condition in order to face Desoloth."

\- "Yes, High Priest." – Blazorus said.

\- "I know a place where you can rest. Follow me." – Siaris said to Blazorus.

Later on, Blazorus had settled in the residence of Dragonhame, not far from Firestorm.

\- "This place is nice." – Blazorus said, looking around. – "Well, I'll settle down for a bit." – He sat down on the bed. Siaris was with him.

\- "Say, Blazorus…" – Siaris said.

\- "Yes?"

\- "I want to know more… about you."

\- "Really? Well, what would you like to know?"

\- "I'd like you to tell me how your life in Basani was."

\- "Well… Basani was like home, just like Firestorm is to Hs'Sakar, and probably you. I used to live in an orphanage ran by my teacher and mother figure, Scoria. She had a son, Andesi, whom I was like a brother to."

\- "Andesi…"

\- "Yes, it's the kid who died at my arms back at Basani." – Blazorus let out a nostalgic sigh. – "I don't know what happened to Ms. Scoria either…"

\- "I'm sure she's fine." – Siaris tried to comfort Blazorus, smiling at him.

\- "When my business here in Etherstorm is over, I'm going to look for Xan and Ms. Scoria."

\- "Why are you after Xan in the first place?"

\- "Well, it's a long story… What I know is the he's in possession of the Ring my father had created, and that he's wreaking havoc who knows where with it."

\- "That Ring sure sounds like trouble…"

\- "Well, it is, if it's in the wrong hands. The amount of power concealed inside that ring is greater than you can possibly imagine."

\- "I see…"

Blazorus and Siaris felt silent for a while. She sighed.

\- "Well… Wherever you go afterwards, I wish you best of luck."

\- "You make it sound like we'll never meet again…" – Blazorus said.

\- "Honestly, I sure hope so." – Siaris said, smiling at him. – "Well, I better get back to the Temple. Get some well-deserved rest."

\- "Thanks."

Siaris opens the door to exit the room, but stops midway. She turned to Blazorus.

\- "Hey, uhm, Blazorus?"

\- "Hmm?"

\- "Good job on your battle. That was quite impressive. Keep it up."

\- "Thanks, I will."

Siaris exits the room and closes the door as Blazorus lies down on the bed, looking at the ceiling. He begins reflecting over everything he went through up until that moment.

\- "Sigh… Xan…" – Blazorus couldn't get his nemesis out of his mind. – "What the hell did you do with Ms. Scoria…?"

Blazorus closes his eyes with thoughts of his teacher. Recalling his life in Basani, as a mere orphan, he begins to feel drowsy.

\- "Ms. Scoria… Wherever you are… I'll find you…" – Blazorus muttered these words before falling asleep.


	14. The Flames of Insanity

**Chapter 14**

**The Flames of Insanity**

There was a dark room. In the middle of that room, there was a woman. She had her arms tied up by a chain coming from the ceiling. Her clothes were torn, and she had several bruises from head to toes. She was tired, she was crying, fearing for her life. She was sweating from the heat circulating around her. This heat was no ordinary heat. It was not provided by the local weather, but rather, a living being.

This living being was a man in a red and gold robe, with a dark skull engulfed in flames. He was a Pyromancer, and a threat to the world of Lore. He was Xan. He was slowly walking circles around the woman.

\- "Can you feel it? Can you feel the heat surrounding you?"

The woman was not responding, as she was nearly unconscious.

\- "I know you don't have any powers or magical abilities. However, you were born in a village of which Fire is a part of."

The woman starts to regain consciousness.

\- "Wh-What…?" – Her voice was faint.

Xan walks in front of her.

\- "I see you're finally coming to." – He looks at her.

\- "Wh-Who are you…?"

Xan avoids the question by miles.

\- "You know him, yes? The one who's awakened to his power."

\- "What…? I… I don't…"

Xan approaches the woman and puts his hand on her chin, lifting her head up, looking at her in the eyes.

\- "I'm talking about HIM."

She didn't say anything.

\- "I know you're dear to him, like he's dear to you…"

The woman sobs.

\- "Please, don't kill me…"

\- "Oh, I have no intention of doing so… As a matter of fact, I have other plans for you."

Xan channels a dark ember on his hand. The woman gets frightened by the sight of it.

\- "N-No… please!"

With an evil grin on his face, Xan approaches her. With the dark ember on his hand, he forcefully pushes it inside the woman's heart. She screams with pain and agony at the top of her lungs while Xan laughs. As the dark ember surrounds her heart, her body suffers an astonishing transformation, her skin tone becoming burnt black, her eyes becoming bright evil orange, and her hands being engulfed in flames.

\- "Heheheh…" – Xan becomes impressed at what he's done to his prisoner, slowly backing away as she clenches her fiery dark fists and breaks the chains and letting out a war cry. – "Rise, my slave… and together, we will make this world kneel before us!"

It was not long before they started to wreak havoc across the lands of Lore. One by one, they fell to the destruction of the flames of insanity. The Greenguard Forest, Swordhaven, Dwarfhold… And now, it was Darkovia's turn.

Darkovia was home to the Vampires of Queen Safiria and the Lycans of Constantin. They were at war with each other, making their land vulnerable to Xan's destruction. Upon arrival at the graveyard of Darkovia, Xan and his slave began to engulf the graves in flames, along with the monsters that roamed the area. Vannier, a vampiric minion who was guarding the graveyard, noticed Xan burning the graves to the ground.

\- "Hey! What do you think you're doing!?"

Xan turned around to see Vannier running towards him in order to stop him.

\- "Do not get in my way, or else…!"

\- "You're coming with me!"

Vannier grabbed Xan's arm. However, the dark Pyromantress began to do the same, causing a distraction on the vampiric minion. This bought enough time for Xan to let himself go and unleash a powerful fireball on Vannier's stomach.

\- "Argh!" – Vannier cried out in pain.

\- "Now, listen here. This world will be consumed in flames, and there is NOTHING you can do to stop me. You're nothing but a mere obstacle in my way."

Vannier slowly fell to the floor.

\- "Now, perish!" – Xan engulfs his own body to flames, making him scream in pain, as the insane Pyromancer lets out an evil laugh.

The monsters around the graveyard squeal in pain as Xan's slave burns them down. After taking down Vannier, Xan notices a werewolf, Warclaw, running to attack him. 

\- "What…? Ugh!"

Warclaw catches Xan, jumping towards him and making him fall on the floor. He tries to bite him, but Xan managed to grab his throat. Warclaw's ferocious barks quickly turned into painful squeals and whimpers, due to the heat of Xan's hand. He gets up, holding Warclaw by his throat.

\- "Hahahahaaaa! Did you really think a puny little creature like you could get the best of me?" – He grips his throat tighter and tighter, causing Warclaw to whimper uncontrollably and eventually die of asphyxiation. – "Good night." – Xan throws lifeless Warclaw to his side, not even looking where.

The graveyard was now fallen to the flames of insanity. Many casualties were suffered, and that was proving to be bad for Darkovia.

Meanwhile, word had reached out to the Queen of the Vampires, Safiria, and the Werewolf King, Constantin.

\- "What!? This can't be!" – Safiria was shocked to know what transpired in the graveyard. – "We must do something about it quick! Brysin! Orlok!" – She called her personal vampire minion and the vampire lore keeper respectively. – "We must prepare for battle. A major threat has just hit Darkovia."

\- "Yes, my Queen. At once." – Brysin kneeled before her and quickly gathered his troops. Orlok stayed in the castle.

Meanwhile, in the Lycan ridge, Constantin was having a word with Faopaw.

\- "Warclaw's death will not go unavenged. We will have to prepare for war if we are to eliminate this threat."

\- "Yes, my King. I shall gather the best Lycan warriors at once."

However, the threat was already spreading to the Darkovia Forest. Xan and his slave were already reducing the forest to ashes, and burning down any monster that stood in their path. However, someone relatively strong interfered with their plans.

\- "Stop!" – A mysterious woman with a wizard-like hat and a shadowslayer suit appeared before them.

\- "And who are you to tell us to stop!?" – Xan asked, furious.

Xan's slave throws a fireball at the shadowslayer, who was forced to make an effort to dodge it.

\- "Out of our way, mortal!" – Xan's slave said.

\- "You are outnumbered! Your chances against us are nil!" – Xan said.

\- "Oh, are they now?" – The shadowslayer said.

She unsheathed her sword, ready to face Xan and his slave.

\- "You'd both do well to turn back now, or else…" – The shadowslayer said.

\- "Hahahaaaaa! You have absolutely no idea who you're dealing with!" – Xan extended his hand, with the palm facing towards the shadowslayer. Just then, it unleashes an enormous burst of flames quickly running toward the shadowslayer. She dodges it, but not unscathed. Her arm was caught in the burst, causing her sleeve to be torn and her skin to be burned. As if I wasn't enough, she twisted her ankle whilst dodging.

\- "Ugh!" – The shadowslayer falls to the ground, clinching her arm in pain.

Xan turns to his slave and orders her to kill the shadowslayer. She approaches her, grabs her head and lifts her up. The shadowslayer is held defenseless at the mercy of Xan's slave. As she prepares her other hand to stab her prey…

\- "W-Wait…! Stop!" – The shadowslayer pleads for her life to be spared, but Xan's slave wasn't listening. However, just before the killing blow…

\- "What is that noise?" – Xan hears a noise coming from the horizon, shortly before seeing a huge group of Lycans and Vampires coming for them.

\- "Wh-What…?" – The shadowslayer also wonders about the noise Xan heard.

\- "Reinforcements… how annoying." – Xan said. He turned to his slave, who hadn't killed the shadowslayer yet. – "What are you waiting for? Kill her!"

Xan's slave prepares her hand and thrusts it through the shadowslayer's guts, causing her to cough blood. Once lifeless, she is thrown onto the floor.

As the troops approach, Xan charges against them, unleashing huge bursts of flame that cover large areas. Xan's slave assists him in the attack against the Darkovian troops. Though outnumbered, Xan doesn't step back and fights the army head-on, in an attempt to take over the land of Darkovia and spread his terror across the world of Lore.


	15. Vasalkar, Lair of the Dragons

**Chapter 15**

**Vasalkar, Lair of the Dragons**

***KNOCK KNOCK***

\- "Blazorus? Blazorus, are you awake?"

***KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK***

No answer. Either Blazorus was still sleeping, or he wasn't in his room at all.

\- "Sorry. I'm coming in, okay?"

Siaris slowly opened the door and took a peek inside. Blazorus was still there, but wasn't asleep. He was meditating. She entered the room and closed the door behind her silently. She didn't say anything and leaned back on the door, crossed her arms and just stared at him, smiling. She could hear a discrete, faint chanting from Blazorus. His eyes were closed. It wasn't long until an aura of Fire surrounded Blazorus, as a result of his concentrated meditation. Siaris stood there, but was impressed. It's like his meditation was increasing his power and mana flow through his body. Perhaps he learned something and wanted to practice a bit? Siaris didn't know.

Blazorus opened his eyes.

\- "Whoa!" – He jumped back, startled to see Siaris in front of him.

Siaris giggled. – "Good morning!" – She said, smiling at him.

\- "How long have you been in there?"

\- "Oh, long enough. I came here to wake you up and take you back to the Temple, but… were you meditating?"

\- "Uh, yes. I heard it's a good way to increase my control over Fire. Did you know you can learn abilities through meditation?"

\- "Oh, really!? That's nice." – Siaris pretended to act surprised, since she already knew about it. – "Anyway, back to the Temple?"

\- "Yes, I'm ready."

Hs'Sakar was by the altar of Zellare by himself. His eyes were closed, as if he was praying.

\- "Oh, mighty Zellare. The Dragonborn has been awakened, and we are one step closer to fulfill the prophecy. We will defeat the evil Desoloth and restore peace and prosperity in Etherstorm."

A moment of silence follows before he turns around and walks away from the altar. Arriving at the main hall, he sees Blazorus and Siaris arriving.

\- "Ah, Blazorus, Siaris. Welcome back."

\- "Thanks, Hs'Sakar." – Siaris said.

\- "Good morning, Hs'Sakar." – Blazorus said.

\- "Good morning, Blazorus. Good to see you, because I have a mission for you." – Hs'Sakar said.

\- "Oh?"

\- "Well, as you well know, Desoloth is a dragonkind creature."

\- "Yes, I know that."

\- "Well, it so happens that we have someone who might be able to side with us against our enemy. His name is Galanoth. He is a legendary Dragonslayer."

\- "A… Dragonslayer?" – Blazorus felt scared.

\- "Indeed. He's currently residing in the Dragon Lair of Vasalkar, in the province of Skullhome. I need you to find him and get him to lend us his strength."

\- "Alright, I think I can manage that alone." – Blazorus said, confident.

\- "I'll go with him." – Siaris said, but Hs'Sakar had other plans.

\- "No, Siaris! I need you here in Etherstorm."

\- "Huh?" – Siaris was confused.

\- "I need you to travel to the other elemental realms in Etherstorm and talk to their respective Prime Dragons. We're going to need a united Etherstorm if we are to defeat Desoloth. You might be able to succeed easily given the fact that you're a Dragon Priestess."

\- "But I'm the Dragon Priestess of Zellare, I can't possibl-"

\- "You will succeed, Siaris." – Hs'Sakar was serious. – "You have a connection to a Dragon God. You will not fail to be heard by the other Prime Dragons."

Siaris trusted Hs'Sakar's word and nodded. She, then, left. Hs'Sakar turns to Blazorus, who hadn't left for Vasalkar yet.

\- "Good luck, young Dragonborn."

\- "Thank you, High Priest." – Blazorus exchanged bows with Hs'Sakar and then flew off to Vasalkar.

\- "Ugh! Such persistence…" – Galanoth was battling three Water Draconians at the lair's entrance. – "**Bane of Scales**!" – Galanoth taunted a draconian that was now rushing to attack him. The other two stayed put.

Galanoth smirked. He had that draconian right where he wanted it. He waited for his enemy to throw his attack for him to dodge. The Water Draconian swung his sword towards Galanoth's head, but it hit air, as the Dragonslayer had ducked. This was his chance.

\- "**Impale**!" – Galanoth swung his sword across the Draconian's abdominal area, cutting through it like butter on a warm knife. Green blood had sprouted everywhere. With one draconian down, Galanoth turns to the other two and charges to face them both head-on. Swinging his blade at lightning speed, he defeated the Draconians. Seeing no other draconian in front of him, Galanoth sheathed his blade and went inside the lair.

Blazorus arrived. He saw the slaughtered Draconians by the entrance of the lair.

\- "Oh… nasty…" – He winced at the sight of those draconians. He looked up at the entrance and headed there.

Inside, Galanoth was fighting more draconians. This time, they were Dark, Gold and Venom ones, and in greater numbers than the Water ones. He saw himself a bit in a tight spot, so, Blazorus decided to intervene. He raised his blade and cast Withering Burn, hitting all enemies and killing them. Galanoth, startled, quickly turn his head to the entrance to see Blazorus. He looked at the relieved Dragonslayer.

\- "Are you alright?"

\- "Yes, thanks."

Blazorus walked down the stairs.

\- "You know, this is no place for a stroll. There are dangerous draconians here. You should turn back." – Galanoth said.

Blazorus took a glance at the Dragonslayer.

\- "I assume you're the Dragonslayer."

\- "Indeed I am. Who might you be?"

\- "My name is Blazorus. I am a Fireborn Pyromancer. I came here to seek your help."

\- "My help? What exactly would you need my help for?"

Blazorus told him about Desoloth the Final and the preparations that Etherstorm was undergoing for war against the giant dragon.

\- "I see… a multi-elemental dragon… sounds tempting." – Galanoth pondered.

\- "Great! Then, we must head back to-"

\- "No, not yet." – Galanoth objected. – "If you need my help, I will do so, but first, I need your help in here."

Blazorus couldn't let out a frustrated sigh, as he knew he was going to waste precious time.

\- "Have you heard of the Red Dragon and the Onyx Lava Dragon?" – Galanoth asked.

\- "No, I don't believe I have…"

\- "They are the two most powerful dragons in this lair. If you defeat them, I will help you in Etherstorm."

\- "Ugh…" – Blazorus did not like the sound of Galanoth's challenge. He saw himself with no choice, though, so, he played along. – "Alright."

\- "Good." – Galanoth said and then pointed at two paths separated to opposite directions. – "See those cave entrances? That's where the dragons are. To the left, you'll encounter the Red Dragon, and to the right, the Onyx Lava Dragon."

\- "Right."

\- "You should start with the Red Dragon first, as he is the weaker one. It'll also teach you how a dragon fights in battle."

What Galanoth didn't know is that Blazorus had fought and defeated an ancient dragon deity, Kelthurax. He already had some experience battling a dragon, so, he didn't expect much of a challenge. With that in mind, Blazorus takes the other path, towards the Onyx Lava Dragon.

\- "Hey, where do you think you're going?" – Galanoth warned. – "You do realize that the Onyx Lava Dragon is immensely powerful, don't you?"

\- "I've fought and defeated much stronger dragons before." – Blazorus said.

\- "If you say so… Then, I'll go with you." – Galanoth caught up with Blazorus. – "Let's go." – Blazorus followed.

A couple of draconians stood in their path and attacked them, but they were both easily defeated by the two humans. As soon as they've entered the cave of the Onyx Lava Dragon, Blazorus was stunned.

\- "Behold, the Onyx Lava Dragon." – Galanoth said. Blazorus didn't reply.

He looked at Galanoth, nodded at him, and then jumped down to skip the stairs, walking slowly towards the Dragon. Once he noticed Blazorus, he unsheathed his blade, the Fire Dragon's Hunger, and exchanged stares with the beast. Galanoth carefully watched the scene from the entrance.


	16. The Onyx Lava Dragon

**Chapter 16**

**The Onyx Lava Dragon**

Blazorus and the Onyx Lava Dragon were staring at each other, as none of them wanted to make the first move. He slowly started to step sideways, circling around the Dragon, as it growled at him.

\- "Ugh…" – Blazorus felt startled with the Dragon's growling. He stopped in his tracks and channeled a fireball on the tip of his blade, throwing it at his opponent once ready. The fireball hit the Dragon on the head, enraging it. It looked at Blazorus and unleashed a deafening roar at him, causing him to lean forward in order not to get knocked down.

The Dragon rushes towards Blazorus, swinging his claws sharp like razors, but just before they could hit him, Blazorus cast Burning Ward to protect himself from most of the damage he was going to take. As soon as the Dragon makes his slashing move, he roars with pain, as the Ward reflected most of the astonishing damage right back at him. That doesn't mean Blazorus got out of that one unscathed, though. It was clear that his Flame Warrior armor had also received some damage. His left shoulder plate had suffered scratches, leaving that area a bit more vulnerable.

Galanoth, who was watching the fight going on, was silently looking at Blazorus, and worried about him. He didn't want to interfere in his fight, however, if things went south, he knew he'd have to make a move in order to save Blazorus's life. Nevertheless, he believed in him.

\- "Damn it…" – Blazorus was already feeling frustrated, as he knew this was going to be a fight he wouldn't win easily. – "If that's how you want to play, you will feel my wrath."

He lifted his sword up and opened his yellow-bright Dragon Wings wide. Both started glowing bright blue.

\- "**Wing Fury**!" – Blazorus launches a blue flaming tornado towards the Dragon. It was the same ability he had used in his battle with Kelthurax back in Firestorm. It hits the Dragon, causing him to be knocked backwards as he roared in pain.

\- "Nice." – Galanoth muttered to himself. – "I've never seen anything like that before."

Once down, Blazorus takes his chance to hit him with a few more abilities. He rushes toward the Dragon.

\- "**Sear**!" – Blazorus causes the Dragon to be scorched. For that short amount of time, any other ability he would hit the Dragon with would deal more damage.

\- "**Orbital Flames**!" – Blazorus hits the Dragon with Ssikari's Orbital Flames, dealing consistent damage to the Dragon. It was defenseless for the time, and he wasn't going to hold back. After all, he wanted to show Galanoth what he's capable of.

However, things had gone out of hand rather quickly. As soon as the Dragon's scorched status faded, he got up. The Orbital Flames were not dealing as much damage as they did earlier, so, it managed to take them. Blazorus stopped the Orbital Flames, as the Dragon unleashed a giant burst of fire from its mouth, catching him off-guard. He took the full blow of that burst and took a large amount of damage.

\- "Argh!" – Blazorus gets knocked back and knocked down. He dropped his blade as it was projected a few feet away from him.

\- "Blazorus!" – Galanoth shouts, catching the attention of the Onyx Dragon. He did not move from the entrance, since he didn't want to fight it himself.

\- "Ugh…" – Blazorus was in pain. He tried to get up, but couldn't make it.

\- "Darn it!" – Galanoth jumped down to the battlefield and unsheathed his blade. – "Face me, creature!"

Galanoth caught the full attention of the Dragon, but didn't attack him. He tried to buy enough time for Blazorus to recover from that devastating burst of flames he got hit with. Shortly afterwards, Blazorus makes an effort to get up and he managed to do so. He started looking for his blade, that was a few feet away from him. He looked around and found it, however, it was near the Dragon.

\- "Galanoth…" – Blazorus called the Dragonslayer. – "Lure the Dragon away so I can… get my blade."

\- "Got it." – Galanoth said. He pointed his sword at the Dragon and cast Bane of Scales. It taunted the Dragon and bought enough time for Blazorus to get his blade and back on his feet, ready to continue battling.

\- "Alright, I've got it!" – Blazorus said.

He grabbed his sword and proceeded to cast another ability. He channeled all his power into it. He knew that move was going to be decisive. As Galanoth kept the dragon's attention, Blazorus casts his semi-ultimate ability.

\- "Oh, mighty Shurpu, grant me with your power once again." – His sword was held high, and he surrounded himself in the flame aura. As it was fully channeled, Blazorus goes for it.

\- "**Towering Inferno**!" – Blazorus unleashes a powerful burst of flames in a circular area around him. The Dragon was caught in it, and Galanoth managed to jump out of range just in time. The Dragon roars in pain as the burst of flames from Blazorus's Towering Inferno burns it completely.

\- "Ugh! This burst of flames… is nothing like… anything I've ever… seen before!" – Galanoth said to himself, guarding himself tight from the heat of Blazorus.

This battle seemed to be won, but as soon as the heat fades, the Dragon charges at Blazorus. He didn't seem to get hurt.

\- "What!?" – Blazorus was rather surprised to see his Towering Inferno was not enough to defeat the Onyx Lava Dragon. He managed to block the Dragon's slash attack with his blade.

\- "To think the Towering Inferno wasn't enough… I can't believe this!" – Blazorus's frustration was leading him to panic. He was going to need more if he was to defeat that Dragon.

\- "Blazorus, are you ok?" – Galanoth asked.

\- "Yes, I'm fine!" – Blazorus was still holding off the claws with his sword.

Right now, Blazorus was on the defensive, as he was thinking about how he was going to defeat his opponent, but, with Towering Inferno's failure, he couldn't come up with anything.

\- "What are you going to do now?" – Galanoth asked.

\- "That's what I'm trying to find out myself!" – Blazorus said.

The Dragon eventually gave up trying to pierce through Blazorus's defense. This bought time for Blazorus to catch his breath.

Suddenly, the battle was back to square one. No party was on the offensive, they were just trading stares. However, Blazorus could see that the Dragon did take some damage from Towering Inferno. This was a good sign, igniting a bit of hope in Blazorus's heart. He could still defeat it. Galanoth did see so too.

\- "This guy is amazing… That huge burst of flames earlier… Just, who is he…? That power of his… He's no ordinary Pyromancer…"

Blazorus was still staring at the Dragon and watching its movements carefully.

\- "Alright… I'm going to need a much more powerful ability in order to defeat it, but… do I have such power?"

\- "If you could use that powerful ability of yours from earlier, you would be able to defeat it." – Galanoth suggested.

\- "Not so fast. I can only use that ability when I channel my entire power at once. It's not something I can do often…"

\- "Right…" – Galanoth didn't say anything else.

The Dragon finally rushes towards Blazorus, but he was prepared. He fought back by swinging his blade against the Dragon's head, trying to deal critical damage. It was working, as the dragon flinched with every hit he took. The Dragon fought back with a breath of fire, but Blazorus cast Burning Ward before it could hit him. Burning Ward allowed him to absorb the Dragon's power. Upon realizing this, Blazorus started pondering a way to actually channel much more power than he normally can in order to cast an ultimate ability that could defeat it once and for all.


	17. Blazing Extinction

**Chapter 17**

**Blazing Extinction**

\- "What was that? I just felt like my Ward absorbed his power…" – Blazorus said. – "Maybe I can use this to my own advantage."

He decided to stay on the defensive and counter the Dragon's attacks with Burning Ward.

\- "Just what is he up to now…?" – Galanoth wondered.

The Dragon kept breathing Fire towards Blazorus, who had the Ward absorbing its power. Once it had enough, Blazorus went for it again. He raised his sword high, the circular aura of flames surrounded him and as his Towering Inferno was at max power and ready to unleash, Galanoth runs to the entrance, a safe area out of Towering Inferno's range.

\- "**Towering Inferno**!" – Blazorus shouts as he unleashes Shurpu's powerful burst against the Dragon once more. Despite having taken some damage from it, the Dragon whips its tail and hits Blazorus, who wasn't able to move or dodge it, let alone block such a powerful whipping force from the tail of a dragon. He was projected feet away from where he was standing, eventually being stopped by a wall.

Galanoth intervenes once again, but this time, he wasn't just buying time. He did engage the Dragon in a fierce battle. Blazorus, who was nearly unconscious, sees Galanoth facing off the beast on his own and attempts to get back up, but to no avail. He had taken the full force of that tail whip.

\- "Blazorus!" – A familiar feminine voice echoed in his mind. – "Get up! You haven't lost this battle yet."

Just then, Ssikari's spirit appears before him.

\- "M-Mother…" – Blazorus said.

\- "I see you put your best efforts against that Dragon, but couldn't defeat it." – She extended her hand to Blazorus. – "Come. I shall teach you the most powerful ability you will ever learn."

Blazorus struggled to raise his hand to grab Ssikari's spirit's, but eventually did. Upon contact, Ssikari's energy healed Blazorus. He got up, grabbed his blade once again, and stepped onto the battle to aid Galanoth yet again.

Ssikari's spirit opened her arms wide, casting a big ball of fire that eventually grew in size as it was being charged.

\- "Wow…" – Blazorus was stunned. He had never seen anything like that before. Shortly afterwards, his energy began to rise. His body was being surrounded by Towering Inferno's aura of flames. – "What is this!?"

Galanoth managed to notice Ssikari's spirit behind the Dragon and wondered what it was all about. He retreated from battle afterwards, jumping up to the entrance again. The Dragon couldn't reach him from there. He turned his full attention to Blazorus and Ssikari's spirit.

\- "What on Lore is that?"

\- "Raise your sword high, Blazorus!" – Ssikari's spirit said and he did so.

Just then, a big ball of fire was being cast above the blade and it grew in size as it was being charged. It was the same ability that Ssikari's spirit was using. She was passing her ultimate ability down to his son. Ssikari's spirit disappeared into Blazorus's heart afterwards, as he listened to her words.

\- "Embrace my power and grow strong with it!"

His aura of flames grew brighter as he charged the giant ball of fire. His eyes were glowing scorching hot orange, the flame crests in his armor were also glowing orange. He was feeling a power like he had never felt before.

\- "This battle is over!" – Blazorus shouts as the ball of fire is fully charged, ready to be thrown at the Dragon. With one mighty swing of his blade, he throws it at the Dragon. – "I win!"

The Dragon takes the full blow of that massive ball of fire as it roars in pain and falls to the ground upon taking the hit. Galanoth wasn't even able to watch the entire action, as he was guarding himself from the massive heat wave generated from the Blazing Extinction.

\- "Ugh…! Unbelievable…!" – Galanoth said.

Once Blazorus cools down from that ultimate ability, he catches his breath, looking at the Dragon knocked down on the floor, not moving. He assumed it was dead, then again, nothing could have survived an ability of that caliber.

\- "That power was… amazing." – He said, looking at his hand.

\- "Blazorus." – Ssikari's spirit's voice echoed in his mind. – "The ability you have just used…"

\- "Mother…"

\- "It was the ability for which I have sacrificed my life. It's called **Blazing Extinction**."

\- "Blazing… Extinction?"

\- "Yes. It was my own ultimate ability. And now I'm passing it on… to you."

\- "Thank you, mother…"

Blazorus turned his attention to the entrance, where Galanoth was standing. He jumped down and praised his efforts.

\- "Your power is amazing. It's isn't like anything I had ever seen before."

\- "Thank you. I'm still developing my power, though, but by the looks of it, I guess I have much more power than I thought." – Blazorus said, looking at his hand.

The two of them walked out of the lair.

\- "We need to make our way to Firestorm as soon as we can. Remember I came here to ask for your help."

\- "Yes, I do. Let us be on our way."

Blazorus and Galanoth made their way to Firestorm, where Hs'Sakar was waiting.

Meanwhile, Siaris hadn't come back from her task. Fortunately, Ang'st, the High Priest of the Prime Air Dragon and Dr'rader, the High Priest of the Prime Earth Dragon, have join Siaris's cause. She was currently in Waterstorm, speaking with Ll'rillor, the High Priest of the Prime Water Dragon.

\- "We will need all four elemental realms united if we are to defeat Desoloth the Final. The son of Ssikari is now seeking out the Dragonslayer Galanoth's help."

\- "I see. Then, the prophecy may very well be fulfilled. I have wished to live to see that day for so long."

\- "Would you be willing to lend us the power of Water and ally with the other three elemental realms to defeat Desoloth the Final?" – Siaris asked.

\- "The realm of Waterstorm shall join you." – Ll'rillor said.

\- "Thank you, High Priest." – Siaris bowed.

\- "I foresee great prosperity in Etherstorm following Desoloth's demise. We will be willing to fight for it. Go to Firestorm and report your High Priest of your success in forging an alliance." – They've exchanged bows and Siaris made her way back.

Back in Firestorm, in the Temple of Zellare, Hs'Sakar was speaking to Ang'st and Dr'rader about the war that was to come. The prophecy had finally seen its chance to be fulfilled, which excited the High Priests.

Shortly afterwards, Galanoth and Blazorus arrive in Firestorm. He showed Galanoth the Temple of Zellare and told him that was where they had to go.

\- "This place feels mesmerizing." – Galanoth said. Blazorus chuckled.

\- "It's the quiet before battle." Blazorus said, looking at the sigh around him. – "Soon enough, these creatures will witness a battle like nothing they've ever seen before. There will be a few casualties, but with great victory, comes great sacrifice." – Galanoth nodded in acknowledgement.

Upon arrival at the Temple of Zellare, Blazorus was greeted by Hs'Sakar.

\- "Ah, Blazorus. Welcome back." – He turned to the Dragonslayer. – "And you must be the Dragonslayer, yes? Etherstorm is grateful for your help." – He bowed at him.

\- "Thank you, uhm…"

\- "Hs'Sakar, High Priest of the Prime Fire Dragon."

\- "Where's Siaris?" – Blazorus asked.

\- "She hasn't come back from Waterstorm yet."

\- "Have you sorted it out with the other High Priests?"

\- "Dr'rader and Ang'st, yes, but not Ll'rillor."

\- "When will we make our move?" – Galanoth asked.

\- "In about a day or two, I reckon." – Blazorus answered.

\- "Don't be so sure, Blazorus." – Hs'Sakar said. – "We still haven't heard from Ll'rillor, so, it's unwise to jump to conclusions so early."

\- "I see." – Blazorus said.

Siaris arrived at the Temple not long afterwards, alongside Ll'rillor.

\- "Ah, Ll'rillor. Welcome to Firestorm." – Hs'Sakar greeted his fellow High Priest, exchanging bows with him.

\- "Hi!" – Siaris greeted Blazorus with a smile on her face.

\- "Hey, Siaris, how'd it go?"

\- "It went well, how about you?"

\- "Well… I didn't come out of there unscathed, that's for sure."

\- "Aw… and who's this?"

\- "I am Galanoth, the Dragonslayer."

\- "Oh, nice to meet you! I am Siaris, the Dragon Priestess of Ssikari."

\- "Nice to meet you."

Following all the introductions, Hs'Sakar led everyone to the Chamber of Zellare, where they would discuss the war that was to come. Soon, Etherstorm would witness the fiercest battle ever fought. The battle for prosperity. The battle for freedom.


	18. Etherstorm at War

**Chapter 18**

**Etherstorm at War**

Hs'Sakar, Ang'st, Dr'rader, Ll'rillor, Blazorus, Siaris and Galanoth were in the Temple of Zellare, in the Dragon God's chamber, discussing their plan to defeat Desoloth.

\- "The time has come for Etherstorm to rise and face Desoloth the Final. Blazorus, we will need you and Galanoth in the front lines of battle. Only you two are powerful enough to face a dragon head-on." – Hs'Sakar said.

\- "What about me, Hs'Sakar?"

\- "You, Siaris, will remain here. As a Dragon Priestess, we cannot afford to send you to battle."

\- "And as for the High Priests, they will remain here as well, yes?" – Blazorus asked.

\- "That's correct." – Hs'Sakar said.

\- "We should make our move as soon as we can." – Galanoth said. – "I will go with Blazorus and engage Desoloth in battle ourselves."

\- "No, it's too dangerous!" – Siaris said. – "You're no match for Desoloth the Final, we have to-"

\- "Siaris, you're forgetting that I've defeated a dragon deity once." – Blazorus reminded Siaris. – "And during my time in Vasalkar Lair, Galanoth had me fight a powerful Onyx Lava Dragon. I have learned much from that battle."

\- "That explains the scratch marks on your shoulder…" – Siaris noticed it.

\- "He is right, Siaris." – Hs'Sakar said. – "Blazorus is the son of the former dragon priestess Ssikari. His potential is limitless."

Blazorus glared at Siaris and then nodded when she glared back. Although she showed some concern for him, she believed in him and his power.

\- "Alright, we'll be on our way." – Galanoth said, then turned to Blazorus. – "Blazorus."

\- "Yes?"

\- "As a Dragonslayer, I will give it my all to see Desoloth the Final fall. That I assure you." – He glared at Blazorus very seriously.

\- "Thank you, Galanoth." – Blazorus put his hand on the Dragonslayer's shoulder. – "Just don't be too reckless. Desoloth is like no Dragon you have ever fought before.

\- "No Dragon can frighten me. This blade of mine, it has slain incredibly powerful dragons before. Let's go. We can't afford to waste time."

Outside the Temple, Blazorus and Galanoth could see thousands of Firestorm creatures ready to go to war against Desoloth. Living Fires, Fire Imps and even Firestorm Dragons, all ready to fight.

\- "Blazorus!" – Ssikari's spirit called out to him and appeared right in front of him.

\- "What is it, mother?"

\- "I see you're finally ready to stand up for Etherstorm against Desoloth the Final…"

\- "Yes. This will be my biggest challenge. If I don't make it, I…"

\- "You will make it, my son. I will make sure you do." – Ssikari's spirit said, glaring at Blazorus. – "I will go to battle alongside you myself. All the Prime Dragons will. Desoloth is immensely powerful, and that's why I will be there by your side."

\- "Thank you, mother." – Blazorus said and nodded at her.

\- "Now, make haste to the battlefield, my son. The time to take on Desoloth the Final has come."

Blazorus and Galanoth made haste to the Dragonplane, through the portal in Etherstorm Wastes. Once there, they found Desoloth the Final.

\- "Ah… what do we have here?"

\- "Desoloth the Final! Your reign of terror over Etherstorm is about to end!" – Blazorus said.

\- "Oh, is that so, human?" – Desoloth said. – "What makes you think a mere human like you can take on a Dragon?" – He turned his attention to Galanoth. – "Oh, what's this?"

Desoloth lowered his head to take a closer look at him. – "Interesting. Looks like you've brought a friend with you. This shall prove to be amusing."

\- "Silence, creature!" – Galanoth said, feeling mocked. – "As a Dragonslayer, I will make sure you fall by my blade! Your shriveled heart, your tainted blood, your very life… are mine!"

Galanoth charges to take on the fallen Dragon by himself.

\- "Galanoth, no!" – Blazorus said, but the Dragonslayer wouldn't listen. He exchanged fierce blows with Desoloth until he took a punch to the abs, making him fall back. He kneeled in pain.

\- "You will not live to threaten this land! I am the Dragonslayer, and you are finished!"

He charges once more. Despites Blazorus's pleas to stop, he goes for it. However, Desoloth catches him between his fangs, biting his arm off. Galanoth screams in absolute pain and agony.

\- "Galanoth!" – Blazorus runs to aid Galanoth. – "Hang in there!"

\- "Argh, I'm sorry, Blazorus… he is too strong…" – Galanoth passed out due to blood loss.

Shortly after, the High Priests arrived with their respective Prime Dragons, along with Siaris.

\- "Blazorus!" – Siaris runs towards him to aid Galanoth.

\- "Siaris, take Galanoth back and mend his wounds!" – Blazorus said.

\- "Do you see now, human? You will never be strong enough to slay me."

Desoloth hit a nerve of Blazorus's. He clenched his fist in anger.

\- "Blazorus, are you alright…?" – Siaris looked worried for him.

\- "Take Galanoth to Dragonhame and have his wound healed. I will face Desoloth on my own."

\- "But Blazorus, you cannot possibly-"

\- "I know what I said. Just go!" – Blazorus said. – "And then come back to help me. I will not defeat Desoloth on my own."

Siaris nodded. She took Galanoth to Dragonhame's medical center and have him recover from his lost arm. A while has passed until the Dragonslayer was fully settled. Siaris stayed with him for a while, looking at him silently, before walking out of his room.

Meanwhile, in the Dragonplane, Blazorus was fiercely dealing powerful blows to Desoloth.

\- "Ugh!" – Desoloth flinched.

\- "Okay, now!" – Blazorus ordered the Prime Dragons to unleash their attacks on the flinched Desoloth. Afterwards, Blazorus followed with a **Flame Vortex**.

\- "I am not a mere human, Desoloth. I am a **Fireborn**! And for the sake of my mother's land, I will see to it that you fall in defeat!"

\- "Now, Blazorus!" – Ssikari's spirit charged in with his son for a combination attack. Blazorus charged on the left side, Ssikari's spirit on the right.

\- "**Orbital Flames**!" – Both shouted as they unleashed a rapid swarm of fireballs. Desoloth was defenseless, taking the full blows. Both followed with a Flame Vortex and then Blazorus finished with his Towering Inferno. Desoloth roared in pain and collapsed to the ground.

\- "Ugh… you…" – Desoloth said.

Blazorus walked to Desoloth's head and pointed his blade at him.

\- "It ends here."

\- "Do it." – Desoloth said.

Blazorus lifts his blade high, ready to deal the killing blow.

\- "Wait, Blazorus!" – Hs'Sakar stopped him. – "We do not need to kill Desoloth the Final. He can be redeemed instead."

\- "Redemption, you say?" – Desoloth said. – "You can't be serious. For centuries, I was outcast by you. Because of my multi-elemental property, I could never be accepted in any of your realms. Everyone saw me as a freak, mocked me and made my life a living hell." – He lifted his head up. – "If you think I will accept redemption after centuries of suffering, you deceive yourself!" – Desoloth stood up, unleashing a roar as he refused to accept defeat. – "I will have all of Etherstorm suffer as much as I did all these years!"

\- "Then, we have no choice but to take your life." – Ssikari's spirit said, turning to Blazorus afterwards. – "Blazorus, raise your blade." – He did so.

She proceeded to possess the Fire Dragon's Hunger, causing it to glow bright.

\- "What the…!?" – Blazorus couldn't believe what was happening. Ssikari's spirit was evolving his blade, granting it with more power and greatly strengthening its own abilities. The blade evolved to a perfectly crafted scorching hot blade. Its handle was dark red and its blade was dark silver, gradually changing its color towards the tip, which was dark yellow. The Fire Dragon's Hunger had evolved to the Eye of Dragon Fire.

\- "Whoa…" – Blazorus examined his newly evolved blade, feeling its power flow through him. – "What is this unbelievable power I feel?"

\- "By sealing myself inside your blade, I have evolved it and granted you with my fully unleashed power." – Ssikari's spirit said. – "Use it wisely, and you will be able to kill Desoloth."


	19. The Outcast Dragon

**Chapter 19**

**The Outcast Dragon**

Many centuries ago, in Dragonhame, there was a mysterious Dragon Egg. It didn't look like any other elemental dragon egg. Each egg had its own elemental property: Fire, Water, Air or Earth, however, this one embraced all four of those elements, making the dragon that would hatch from it a multi-elemental dragon.

Rumors regarding the origin of this mysterious egg were unclear. Some say it came from the heart of the Etherstorm Wastes, where all 4 elements gathered and gave life to each elemental realm. Others say it originated from the fusion of four elemental dragon eggs, but no truth about it was revealed.

On the day the egg would presumably hatch, the High Priests of the elemental realms held a ceremony in Dragonhame, like they do whenever an egg hatches. Due to the bizarre nature of this egg, none of the High Priests knew which element this dragon would belong to. The egg soon hatched, much to the excitement of the High Priests. The little baby dragon that came out of that egg had a unique appearance. Each part of its body embraced one of the elements. Its head was dark purple with scorching hot horns, symbolizing the Fire element, its neck was dark purple as well, but embraced the Air element. Its arms are light purple with rock-like knuckles and forearms, making it of the Earth element. And finally, its tail, which was a long serpent-like lower body with no legs, was light blue with fins, natural of the Water element. It had been given the name of Desoloth the Final.

Due to this unusual multi-elemental nature, the High Priests could not determine which realm it should be raised in, so, it had been decided that he be raised in all four elemental realms equally. Hs'Sakar, the High Priest of Firestorm, was the first one to take Desoloth in. He nurtured him and gave him the proper treatment as if it was one of their own. The Firestorm offsprings usually make the volcano their playground, so, the High Priest took Desoloth there so he could socialize with the other baby dragons. The offsprings were happily playing with each other, but when they saw baby Desoloth trying to integrate himself in the group, they shoved him aside. When Desoloth would approach an offspring, they would growl at him, causing him to back away. The offsprings wouldn't accept Desoloth as one of their own simply because he didn't look like a Fire Dragon in the first place. Desoloth felt sad and lonely, and couldn't help but cry.

Hs'Sakar was not happy to see this and took him back to Dragonhame. There, he would be taken by the High Priest of Waterstorm but, just like in Firsetorm, nobody saw him as a Water Dragon. So was the case in Airstorm and Earthstorm.

The fate of the little Desoloth had been discussed for days, until he was returned to Dragonhame again. Unable to be accepted in any of the elemental realms, Desoloth the Final had been left in Etherstorm Wastes, never to see anyone again.

As he grew up, he learned to take care of himself. The elemental essences of Etherstorm Wastes gave him power throughout his growth. The sadness and sorrow in his heart turned into anger and hatred for his kind. Fed on those feelings, he sought revenge, but he knew he would need a vast amount of power for so. He found a mysterious portal leading to a place called the Dragonplane, which would later be his home.

The Dragonplane was just what Desoloth was looking for. The elemental essences of that place were the strongest anyone could ever feel and Desoloth used that to his advantage. He spent years wandering around that strange place all by himself. Throughout his whole life in Dragonplane, Desoloth hasn't laid his eye on any other dragon. He was completely alone.

Centuries later, Desoloth had fully grown into a full-fledged dragon with power beyond any other dragon in Etherstorm. He saw this as his chance to leave the Dragonplane and put his revenge plan in motion. He flew to Firestorm first. Once there, he aimed at the Temple of Zellare and attacked it, dealing severe damage to its integrity, however, it had not collapsed. Fortunately, nobody was inside the temple, so, there were no casualties… yet. Desoloth made his way to the Volcano, where the offsprings were playing. Due to his enormous size, he could not enter it, so, he stuck his head in the entrance and as he saw the little baby dragons, he unleashed a scorching hot burst of flames, casting the offsprings ablaze. They squealed to death, as they were defenseless. Desoloth laughed as he saw the offsprings in pain and dying before him.

Afterwards, he made his way to Earthstorm and targeted the crystal caves that were so sacred to the High Priest of Earth. He called upon an earthquake unlike any other that has ever been felt. Desoloth's anger made it the most ferocious earthquake of all times. The crystal cave didn't survive it and collapsed, and every single creature that resided inside the cave perished by Desoloth's fury. Seeing Earthstorm was shattered, he headed to Airstorm, where he unleashed fierce tornados that ravaged the entire realm, and in Waterstorm, he called upon gigantic tsunami waves that drowned it all.

Having unleashed his anger in all four elemental realms, Desoloth the Final feels satisfied. But his heart hungered for more. He may have already caused harm to the elemental realms, but he wasn't going to stop there. After his attack on the realms, the creatures the inhabited it started feeling fearful and intimidated. Desoloth used this to his advantage. He saw it as his chance to finally pay back all those years of rejection.

The High Priests were not happy to know about Desoloth's attack to their realms. They went to Dragonhame and sought Drakkor, the Dark Dracomancer and the defender of Dragonhame. They told them about Desoloth the Final's attack to their realms and needed his help. Drakkor said he'd see what he could do. He went to the Dragonplane through the portal in the Etherstorm Wastes. He was amazed with this mysterious place, as it had an elemental aura with greater power than Etherstorm itself. He explored the Dragonplane for a bit, before running into Desoloth himself, who was resting at the time.

He was amazed at the enormous size of the multi-elemental dragon. He approached him to take a closer look. He was unlike any dragon he had ever seen before. As a Dracomancer, he was able to feel Desoloth's power, and it was a greater power than any other. Not even the Prime Dragons had as much power combined. He decided not to awaken Desoloth and return to Dragonhame.

Back in Dragonhame, he told the High Priests that there was nothing he could do. Desoloth was far too powerful for him. The High Priests reluctantly accept the fact that Desoloth will not be able to be defeated, so, they wrote a prophecy. "_A warrior with the power of a Dragon God in his heart and the blessing of the Prime Dragon of their Element would rise as the savior of Etherstorm and quell the rage of the multi-elemental dragon forever, restoring peace and prosperity to their province"_.


	20. Ssikari's Sacrifice

**Chapter 20**

**Ssikari's Sacrifice**

During his battle against Desoloth, Blazorus's blade had evolved to the Eye of Dragon Fire when Ssikari's spirit sealed herself inside the Fire Dragon's Hunger blade, bestowing new and more powerful abilities upon Blazorus.

\- "Alright, let's do this." – Blazorus said, assuming a battle position against Desoloth.

Siaris arrived at the battlefield. Blazorus was standing against Desoloth, and everyone else was a yard away from him, watching the scene. Hs'Sakar noticed Siaris's arrival.

\- "Welcome back, Priestess."

\- "Thank you, Hs'Sakar. How is Blazorus holding up?" – Siaris turned to look at Blazorus, who was on his own. – "Wait, where's Ssikari's spirit?" – Before anyone could answer her, she noticed the new blade Blazorus was wielding. – "Huh? Where did he get that blade from?"

\- "That blade is where Ssikari's spirit is." – Hs'Sakar said. Siaris looked at Blazorus as he was ready to make his move on Desoloth.

His yellow bright Dragon Wings allowed him to soar high and swing his sword against his head. Each swing of that new blade unleashed an unbelievable amount of power, dealing tons of damage to Desoloth.

\- "Argh!" – Desoloth flinched as he wasn't able to resist such powerful blows.

\- "Yes, that's it!" – Siaris cheered on Blazorus then turned to Hs'Sakar. – "That new blade of his sure is powerful."

\- "That blade holds the power of Ssikari herself. Each swing unleashes the burst of flames similar to her Dragon form's breath. That's why Desoloth isn't being able to resist that damage."

Blazorus falls back down after that swarm of swings from his blade. Desoloth was feeling groggy, but not for long. He raised his Earth elemental arm and tried to smash Blazorus with it, but he dodged the blow, however, the shockwave from the impact caught him off guard and pushed him for a short distance.

\- "Whoa!" – Blazorus yelled as he was thrown away by the shockwave. Before he could get back up, Desoloth was already throwing a punch with his other arm. Siaris gasped as it didn't look like Blazorus was noticing it.

\- "Blazorus, above you!" – She warned him.

\- "Uh, what?" – Blazorus looked up to see Desoloth's huge fist falling down on him, but by a split second, the Prime Dragon Ssikari whipped her tail to shove Blazorus out of the way. – "Argh!" – She then unleashed her breath underneath Desoloth's fist, however, he fought back. Blazorus saw Ssikari fighting Desoloth on her own, but couldn't get up and help her. Siaris ran to aid him.

\- "Blazorus, are you ok?" – Siaris asked.

\- "Ugh, I'm… fine." – Blazorus was looking at Ssikari. – "Why did she attack me like that?"

\- "She didn't attack you. She just shoved you out of the way of Desoloth's fist. You would have been crushed otherwise."

\- "I… see." – Blazorus tried to get up, but couldn't.

\- "Easy now. Don't get up, you're injured." – Siaris said.

\- "Ugh… I'll be fine. Go help Ssikari."

Siaris nodded and provided Ssikari some backup, while Blazorus watched. He was down in the ground, his blade a bit far away from him. He was holding onto his waist, which is where he was hit by Ssikari's tail.

\- "Ugh, I need a Burning Ward…" – Blazorus searched for his blade so he could cast his healing ability to be fighting fit again.

Meanwhile, in the Dragonhame hospital, Galanoth had shown signs of recovery. Despite having lost an arm, his condition was quite good for battle. The Dragonslayer had his torso wrapped around with a bandage. His wound barely hurt anymore, so, he got up from the bed, grabbed his sword, and walked out of there. He wasn't going to spend the rest of the battle with Desoloth in the hospital, anyway. He stormed to Etherstorm Wastes, where the portal to Dragonplane is located, and swore revenge on Desoloth.

Back at the battle, the Prime Dragon of Fire was holding her own against Desoloth, with help from Siaris, her Dragon Priestess. Hs'Sakar was praying for Ssikari's safety, but also giving her strength through his prayers.

However, Desoloth managed to catch Ssikari off guard and whipped his tail against her, hitting her hard and projecting her away for a short distance.

\- "Ssikari!" – Siaris shouted. Desoloth turned his head to the knocked down Dragon and unleashed a burst of flames from his mouth. Siaris warded herself and served as a shield, taking the flames head-on and reflecting the majority of its damage back to Desoloth, who flinched. That doesn't mean she made through it unscathed. Her armor was showing signs of wear and burns. She got on her knees, trying to recover, leaving her defenseless to Desoloth's next attack.

Ssikari recovered and roared at Desoloth as he prepared to unleash his burst of flames on Siaris. She flew against his head and whipped her tail as hard as she could. Desoloth flinched and was angered by that fierce attack. She gripped onto his head and unleashed her breath several times in an attempt to pin the fallen dragon down, but he was only shaking his head, trying to shove Ssikari off of him, which happens after a while. Caught off balance, Ssikari let go of her grip and fell to the ground.

\- "Ssikari!" – Siaris shouted.

Desoloth had Ssikari pinned down.

Blazorus grabs his blade. Upon casting Burning Ward on himself, he rushes to battle and lure his attention to buy Ssikari some time to recover again. He charged to attack his head, but Desoloth managed to hit him with his huge fist.

\- "Ugh!" – Blazorus said. Ssikari saw him being hit and quickly got back up.

\- "This is the end." – Desoloth said and then unleashed his burst of flames on Blazorus.

\- "Blazorus, watch out!" – Siaris said. Blazorus didn't have enough time to guard or dodge, and it looked like he was going to take the full blow, so, he covered his head with his arm. Siaris couldn't bear to watch either, so, she covered her face.

The next thing they heard was a powerful dragon roar. Wondering where it came from, Blazorus lowered his arm to see Ssikari blocking Desoloth's burst of flames and taking its full blow. The High Priests, especially Hs'Sakar, were shocked by what they've just witnessed. Siaris uncovered her face too and saw Ssikari taking Desoloth's burst of flames instead of Blazorus.

\- "No!" – Siaris said.

\- "Prime Dragon!" – Hs'Sakar said.

\- "M-Mother…" – Blazorus said.

Ssikari fell off on the ground, completely wounded. Just then, Galanoth appears from nowhere and lands a fatal strike on Desoloth, knocking him down. He noticed the Prime Fire Dragon severely wounded on the ground in front of him. Siaris ran to aid Ssikari and cried for her. Blazorus ran as well and stood next to Siaris.

\- "M-Mother!" – Blazorus said.

\- "Blazorus…" – Ssikari said, through telepathy. – "I'm sorry…"

\- "No, no! This is all my fault!" – Blazorus said.

\- "No, my son… this is how it's meant to be…" – Ssikari said. – "I have always been willing to give my life for Etherstorm… I have done all I could against Desoloth… now, it is your turn…" – These were Ssikari's last words before she closed her eyes and took her last breath. Siaris grieved for the loss of the Prime Fire Dragon. The other Prime Dragons roared in grief and the High Priests closed their eyes in homage of her sacrifice, along with Galanoth.

\- "Grr…" – Blazorus shed a tear for his deceased mother and clenched his fist in anger. He stood up. Siaris looked at him.

\- "Blazorus…" – Siaris said, crying.

\- "Siaris…" – Blazorus looked at Siaris and then grabbed his blade, walking towards Desoloth, who was knocked down.

\- "Wh-Where are you going?"

He stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn his head.

\- "I'm going to make sure her sacrifice is not in vain."

Blazorus lifted his blade high and concentrated all of his power and his feelings of anger and grief to cast his most powerful ability to put an end on Desoloth. A massive ball of fire appeared on the tip of his blade.

\- "This will be your last breath, Desoloth!" – Blazorus said as he charged his ball of fire. Siaris assisted him and concentrated all of her power on it as well. – "What the…?"

\- "Take my power too. Only together will we be able to defeat him in one blow." – Siaris nodded to him.

The ball was fully charged and it was time to deliver the crucial blow.

\- "Okay, now!" – Siaris said.

\- "**Blazing**…!" – Blazorus prepared to throw the most powerful ball of fire he'd ever charged and he put all his might into one single swing of his blade. – "…**Extinctioooon**!" – Upon hitting Desoloth, the Blazing Extinction exploded and completely burned Desoloth to a crisp, killing him.

\- "It's over…" – Blazorus said. – "Etherstorm is free at last."


	21. Return to Basani

**Chapter 21**

**Return to Basani**

Following Desoloth the Final's demise and the sacrifice of the Prime Fire Dragon Ssikari for her land, the realm of Hs'Sakar organized a funeral. They carried her body to the volcano of Firestorm and brought it to her chamber. Sulfur Imps, Living Fires, the Offsprings, the High Priests, Blazorus, Siaris and Galanoth were all inside the chamber of Ssikari, facing the altar, where Hs'Sakar brought an urn containing the ashes of Ssikari herself upon it. Then, he opened it and called upon magic to remove the ashes from the urn and ignite them to make a small ember on top of the altar. That small flame on the altar represented Ssikari's legacy, as it would never die. Blazorus had his eyes closed to pay his respects to his fallen mother. Siaris looked at him, as she was worried for him.

At the end of the funeral, Blazorus made his way to Dragonhame to tidy it up before he left Etherstorm. It was quiet in there, until someone knocked the door.

\- "Who is it?" – Blazorus asked.

\- "Blazorus? It's me. May I please come in?

\- "Sure."

The door opened.

\- "Oh, hey, Siaris."

\- "Hey. I just wanted to know how you were feeling."

\- "I'm fine." – Blazorus looks at Siaris. There was a brief moment of silence. – "I need to tell you something."

\- "Wh-What is it?" – Siaris began to blush.

\- "I'm going back to Basani. Alone."

Siaris widened her eyes, as she was surprised.

\- "Wh-What? Why?"

\- "Because it's where I belong."

\- "What about Xan?"

\- "I'll still look for him, but I need to go see Shurpu first. He may know something regarding his whereabouts… I hope."

\- "So… This is where we part ways, huh?" – Siaris asked, feeling a bit sad.

Blazorus walked towards Siaris. She was looking down at the floor. He put his hand on her cheek, pulling her face upwards so he could make eye contact.

\- "Don't worry, we'll meet again someday." – He proceeded to give Siaris a kiss on her other cheek, making her blush heavily.

\- "S-Stop!" – She pushed him away in embarrassment and regained her composure. Blazorus saw her looking away, blushing and a bit embarrassed.

\- "Sorry…" – Blazorus scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Siaris, however, didn't mind his kiss.

\- "I hope you find what you're looking for back in Basani." – Siaris said. She sighed and then reluctantly said she was going to miss him and then proceeded to give him a hug.

\- "I'll miss you too." – Blazorus said, holding her tight in his arms. They stayed like that for a brief moment before Siaris let go.

\- "I guess I'll go back to the Temple for now. You should come too, so you can bid Hs'Sakar farewell."

\- "I'll catch up."

\- "Alright, see you there." – Siaris left the room. Blazorus looked at the mirror on the wall and walked in front of it. He began to see himself from various angles, turning left, then right, and thought of taking off his Flame Warrior armor.

\- "Hmm, I guess I don't need this armor anymore." – He opened the closet and saw his Pyromancer robe in there. He took it out and switched from his armor to his robe. As he put his armor on the bed and looked at it, Blazorus sighed. – "I guess I won't need this armor or this blade anymore. I'm going to leave them by the altar in the volcano." – He closed the closet and left everything in place, before taking the Eye of Dragon Fire and the Flame Warrior armor with him and leaving the room for good. He carried them to the volcano, where the funeral had taken place. Once there, he carefully put the armor and the blade down and left them there by the altar in memory of his mother. After a brief moment of silence, Blazorus walked out of the volcano and headed to the Temple.

Once he arrived, he headed to the Chamber of Zellare, where Hs'Sakar was. The other High Priests were there as well. Siaris, though, was nowhere to be seen.

\- "Ah, Blazorus. I see you're wearing new garments." – Hs'Sakar said.

\- "Yes. I have left my armor and blade by the altar of Ssikari, where the funeral was held." – Blazorus said. – "Uhm, High Priest."

\- "What is it?" – Hs'Sakar said.

\- "Now that Desoloth the Final has been defeated, it's time for me to return to my land, Basani. I have personal matters to attend to."

\- "I understand. Etherstorm will always be grateful for your efforts against Desoloth the Final. All we can do is wish you good luck on your journey."

\- "Thank you, High Priest." – They exchanged bows and Blazorus left the Temple. Coming down the stairs, he ran into Siaris.

\- "Hey, Blazorus." – Siaris said.

\- "Yes, Siaris?" – Blazorus said.

\- "You're leaving now, aren't you?"

\- "Yes. I'm going back to Basani."

\- "I wish I could go with you…" – Siaris was sad to see Blazorus leave.

\- "Hey, don't worry. We'll still see each other again!" – Blazorus said, cheerful, making Siaris feel a bit better. She smiled.

\- "Alright, then, I'll see you!" – Siaris said before kissing Blazorus's cheek.

\- "Bye!" – Blazorus blushed, touching the cheek Siaris kissed. He smiled at her and waved one final time.

On the way back to Basani, he ran into a few monsters, dealing with each one his usual way. When he reached the sea, he summoned his Dragon wings and flew over it and reached the island. Once there, he headed straight to the village.

The village was no longer the one he used to live in. The whole place was burned to a crisp, the buildings were barely noticeable, and there were a lot of monsters roaming around it. This made it nearly impossible for Blazorus to enter the village.

\- "Hmm… There's too many of them." – Blazorus said. – "I won't be able to get to the village."

He waited for a while where he was: hidden in the outskirts where he first fought that Lava Golem. He, then, saw the monsters splitting up, opening the entrance to the village. Blazorus saw that chance and took it. Once inside, he made his way to the orphanage, but he couldn't afford to be seen. He didn't feel like fighting any monsters. Eventually, he arrived at the orphanage, but no place in the village was safe anymore. There were a couple of Fire Imps inside, roaming from room to room. Blazorus, however, didn't notice them, so, he made way to his former room to get some rest.

Once there, he came across one of the imps. He had his back turned on the entrance, making him an easy target for Blazorus to kill. He sneaked behind him and, as he summoned the Magma Spire, he smacked the imp's head hard, knocking him out. Because he wasn't completely dead, Blazorus cast a fireball and threw it at the unconscious imp, killing him, but at the same time, making a large noise that alerted the other imp in the orphanage. Startled, he sought for a hiding spot and the first one he came up with was under the bed. The other imp arrived. As he saw the other imp dead, he let out a cry that alerted the monsters outside. Blazorus saw himself trapped in there. He stayed under the bed for a little while but then realized that he wasn't going to accomplish anything by staying there.

\- "I'm going to have to fight these monsters head on if I want to get out of here."

He decided to roll out of his hiding spot and got up quickly, allowing the monsters in the room to spot him. Assuming a battle stance, Blazorus challenged the monsters to attack him.

\- "Well, come on!" – Blazorus taunted the monsters, knowing they didn't understand anything he said, but they were provoked by his body language. – "I'll have you all reduced to ashes!"


	22. The Guardian of the Ring

**Chapter 22**

**The Guardian of the Ring**

Blazorus was in his room back at the orphanage when he ran into an unavoidable encounter with a few monsters, giving him no choice but to fight. There were about 5 or 6 imps surrounding and blocking the exit from him. As the imps slowly approached him, he swung his staff swiftly to back them off, unleashing a wave of flames that burned them.

\- "Back off!" – Blazorus said. The imps, however, weren't getting the message, so, they kept charging on him. He stepped back while swinging his staff against them, eventually leading his back against a wall, trapping him. He saw himself in a tight spot and looked at exit, wondering how he would get there.

\- "**Withering Blast**!" – Blazorus cast his explosive spell, hitting every imp in front of him. As they screamed in pain and eventually died, Blazorus makes a run for the exit of the orphanage. He made his way to the back of the orphanage, where the garden was. A few corpses were still lying there, but he didn't pay much attention to them.

Suddenly, the red jewel on the Magma Spire begins to glow. Blazorus noticed and wondered what that was about. Afterwards, he heard a voice coming from the jewel.

\- "Fireborn… can you hear me?" – It was a deep male voice calling out for him.

\- "Wh-What the…!?"

\- "Do not be alarmed. I have called upon you because I need you to make your way to the Ruins of Shurpu."

\- "The Ruins…?"

The glow faded afterwards. Blazorus was left clueless about who that voice was or what it wanted. Nevertheless, he made his way there. Upon arriving at the entrance, the red jewel began glowing again.

\- "Please, make your way to the Guardian's Chamber." – The glow faded again and Blazorus complied.

In the Guardian's Chamber, there was a giant creature made of molten lava. It was the Guardian of the Ring himself: Shurpu. Blazorus was stunned by the majestic sight of the Guardian himself.

\- "Welcome, young Fireborn." – He said. – "I have been expecting you."

\- "Are you…?"

\- "Yes. I am Shurpu, the Guardian of the Ring. And you are the one who inherited my power."

\- "Father…"

\- "I have called you here because I must tell you about a major threat to the world of Lore. He seeks ultimate power and cannot be reasoned with."

\- "Xan…"

\- "His power has been vastly increased by the Ring he stole from me many millennia ago. As my son, you are the one who must take it and make it yours, for you are the heir to the Ring of Shurpu." – Blazorus nodded as a reply. – "However… even as we speak, he is spreading terror across the many lands of Lore. You must find and stop him by any means necessary. Xan must not see his goal fulfilled."

\- "Yes, father." – Shurpu began to channel an astonishing amount of power.

\- "Come forth, my son. I shall grant you with the true power of a Fireborn. The power I wielded long ago shall now belong to you."

Blazorus approached the giant Guardian as he began to levitate and was infused with the power of his father. His Pyromancer robe suffered drastic changes. Its color had been turned to full crimson red, with a bright yellow trim. His head had turned into a red skull covered by a flame, but not like Xan's skull. Blazorus's skull was more like a mask. Combat-wise, he gained the ability to fight with his bare hands. He no longer depended on any staff or blade to fight. He could now channel his abilities with his own hands, making it easier for him in battles.

Blazorus, now a full-fledged Emblazoned Pyromancer, embraced the true power of a Fireborn and awakened his ultimate Fireborn Essence, granting him with a power greater than any other Pyromancer could ever hope to achieve. He was a step closer to become the Shurpu Master of Flames. His only obstacle now was Xan and his slave, and he needs to possess the Ring of Shurpu in order to fulfill his destiny.

\- "With your fully awakened power, you will be able to sense the presence of the Ring of Shurpu, which will allow you to easily trace Xan's whereabouts."

Blazorus was gazing upon his new Pyromancer robe and his scorching hot hands. He could also feel the Essence of Shurpu inside his heart, making him the most powerful Pyromancer in Lore. All that was left was for him to make the Ring of Shurpu his.

\- "Thank you, father. I will hold onto this power you've bestowed upon me and use it to fulfill my destiny. That I promise you."

\- "Go now, young Fireborn. And good luck." – Shurpu said.

Blazorus made his way out of the Ruins of Shurpu. Once out, he began to concentrate on his ability to sense the Ring, in an attempt to locate Xan and move there. However, it was too far for him to sense, and he no longer could rely on sensing, so, he decided to travel to inner Lore and jump from land to land in order to trace Xan and stop him once and for all.

The first land he arrived at was Thunderforge, the land of the Darkblood and never ending thunderstorms. Unsurprisingly, it had fallen victim to Xan's flames of insanity. He headed to Falguard, the capital of Thunderforge, to search for any survivors, but even the city itself was burnt to a crisp. A small group of soldiers who had somehow survived Xan had spotted the Fireborn and planned to ambush him.

\- "Look, there he is."

\- "Alright, let's get him!"

\- "Wait, not so fast! He's too powerful for us to take him."

\- "Yeah, we're going to have to ambush him somehow."

Blazorus was wandering around the city at this point and was a bit lost too.

\- "Ugh, I can't find anyone… I guess no one survived Xan here…" – He then turns around where he came from to see a group of soldiers walking towards him with their spears pointed at him. Although he was relieved to see survivors, Blazorus put his hands up and walked away from the soldiers.

\- "Hey, guys, wait! Why are you…? Ah!" – Blazorus turned around again to see another group of soldiers walking towards him. They'd trapped him against a building, giving him no means of escape.

\- "What are you guys doing!?"

\- "Silence!" – One of the soldiers said. – "We're going to do to you what you did to our land!"

\- "Wait, what!?" – Blazorus saw himself in trouble. – "Ugh, they must think I'm Xan…" – He muttered to himself. Nevertheless, he assumed his battle stance and got ready to face the Darkblood soldiers.

\- "Kiyaaa!" – One of the soldiers took his chances at Blazorus, but he easily dodged all of his spear attacks and countered with a fireball at his stomach area. – "Argh!" – however, it wasn't damaging enough to kill him, which was what Blazorus was trying to avoid.

\- "Argh, stop! I don't want to fight you!"

\- "Alright, men, that's enough!" – A female voice ordered the soldiers to stop and so they did. Afterwards, they've split up to let a beautiful, purpled skinned Darkblood woman through, who was presumably their captain. – "You have a lot of guts to come back here, Pyromancer."

\- "I guess there's been a misundersta—"

\- "Silence!" – The captain said. – "Where is the woman you walk around with!?"

\- "Woman?" – Blazorus said. – "Does she mean Siaris? But she stayed in Firestorm. Besides, I'd never come here before." – He muttered to himself. – "I came alone. Perhaps you're confusing me with someone else."

The captain began to have her doubts about who he was.

\- "What is your name, Pyromancer? And what brought you to Falguard?" – The captain asked.

\- "My name is Blazorus, the Fireborn Pyromancer of Basani. I came here in search of Xan and stop him from fulfilling his goal."

\- "Interesting…" – She looked around at her soldiers. – "Our city was attacked by a Pyromancer who resembled you in a way. My men must have mistaken you with him. My apologies."

\- "It's okay."

\- "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Captain Madra, leader of Falguard." – She led Blazorus to her headquarters. – "Come now, we have a lot to talk about."


	23. Siaris's Reminiscence

**Chapter 23**

**Siaris's Reminiscence**

A week had passed since Blazorus had left Firestorm and part ways with Siaris. It made her sad, which worried Hs'Sakar. In the Temple of Zellare, more specifically Zellare's Chamber, Siaris was praying to the Dragon God.

\- "Oh, mighty Zellare, please keep Blazorus safe wherever he is."

Hs'Sakar happened to enter the Chamber the moment she said it. He was worried for her, as she was not her usual self that past week.

\- "Siaris, my dear… is something the matter?"

\- "High Priest…" – Siaris said.

\- "You have been saying his name every time you prayed to Zellare." – Hs'Sakar said. – "Could it be that you miss him?"

Siaris didn't answer right away, but she knew Hs'Sakar was right, so, she said yes. She, then, closed her eyes and gathered enough courage to say something to the High Priest.

\- "High Priest, I… I need to tell you something."

Hs'Sakar was caught by surprise, due to the fact that it was so sudden.

\- "Oh, what is it, Siaris?"

\- "I…"

Siaris was struggling to say it, but she did her best not to hesitate.

\- "I'm going to relinquish my title as Dragon Priestess and leave this Temple."

\- "Wh-What!?" – This caught Hs'Sakar completely off-guard. – "Are you sure that's what you want?"

\- "Yes, I'm absolutely sure." – Siaris said.

\- "And what will you do in the future?"

\- "I'm going to devote myself to be a full-fledged Pyromantress, like I've always wanted to." – Siaris said.

***FLASHBACK***

Little Siaris was with her mother, Reimi, as they were on their way to visit the Isle of Fotia, home of the Frozen Flame cult.

\- "Mommy, where are we going?" – Little Siaris asked.

\- "We're going to Fotia, where Fire is a strong element, so that mommy can learn more about Fire." – Reimi said.

\- "Oh, really? I want to learn about Fire too!" – Siaris said, cheerful.

\- "Aw, but you know Fire is dangerous and might hurt you if you're not careful." – Reimi said.

\- "Aw… but I want to be like you mommy: a Fire magic woman!" – Siaris said, making her mother let out a chuckle at her daughter's silly name for a Pyromantress. She, then, corrected her.

\- "It's called a Pyromantress, dearie. And they are great Fire magicians. Just like mommy!"

Little Siaris was amazed at her mother's words. She admired her very much. In fact, she idolized her. That's when she made up her mind.

\- "Wow, mommy!" – Siaris said. – "When I'm big, I'm going to be a Firemantress just like you!" – Siaris said as she laughed happily with her mother.

***FLASHBACK***

\- "And that's why I will make my own path from now on." – Siaris said.

\- "I see." – Hs'Sakar said. – "You have the right to choose your own path as a human being of course, however, it saddens me to see you go like this after all this time."

\- "Do you remember what I said when I first came to Firestorm?" – Siaris asked.

\- "Yes. You said you wanted to know how strong the Fire element can be and how to become strong with it. Just like a Dragon." – Hs'Sakar said.

\- "Yes, well… Blazorus managed to know what I wanted to know all this time… and he'd never been to Firestorm before…"

\- "He was born and raised in the birth place of an ancient Fireborn known as Shurpu and that's why he—"

\- "That's why I need to go find him and have him tell me how strong Fire really is!" – Siaris interrupted Hs'Sakar and raised her voice, even though she didn't mean to yell at the High Priest. She felt frustrated for not having found the answer to her question after years as a Dragon Priestess. – "I… I need to see other places… and find out for myself…"

\- "What leads you to pursue the answer to your question with such persistence?"

Siaris closed her eyes as painful memories emerged.

***FLASHBACK***

Siaris was walking around the village with her mother, when they heard screams. Her mother turned around to see what was going on. A few Femme Fatalities were running away from what seemed like explosions.

\- "Mommy, what's going on?" – Siaris asked.

\- "Come on, we have to go." – Reimi said, picking her up and running away with the Femme Fatalities. The explosions and women screaming made Siaris scared, and she laid hid her face against her mother's shoulder.

\- "Mommy, I'm scared!" – Siaris said.

Reimi saw a group of Femmes heading inside a hut, so, she ran there and entrusted Siaris to one of the women.

\- "Here! Take my daughter and keep her safe!" – She said, before letting go of little Siaris.

\- "Mommy, where are you going!?" – Siaris asked.

\- "Mommy will be right back, sweetie! I'm going to help these people! Wait for me here, okay?" – Reimi said.

\- "Okay, mommy! Love you!" – Siaris said to encourage her mother. She smiled.

\- "I love you too, sweetie." – Reimi said, giving Siaris a kiss on her forehead and hugging her tight before going.

The door to the hut was closed and everyone inside stayed quiet and silent, listening to nothing but the noise from outside. Siaris was feeling a little scared, but didn't move away from Cheryl, the Femme Fatality she was entrusted to. She turned to her.

\- "Is mommy going to be okay?"

\- "I'm sure she will, little one." – Cheryl said.

Back outside, Reimi had spotted a force of undead legionnaires invading and ravaging the village. They were no regular undead, as they wore masterfully crafted black armor that resembled Dage the Evil's. She had to stop them before they could do any damage to the village. She charged into battle with the legion army, using swift movements to cast several powerful spells all around her. Fireballs and waves of flames flew everywhere from her hands and hit every single undead legionnaire with extreme precision. She finished it off with a **Fire Storm**, a giant tornado made entirely of flames that rotated around like a real one and sucked every enemy nearby inside it, and has it faded, she cast a variant of **Blazing Extinction**. Instead of channeling it from her hands, she used the energy of Fire Storm to summon it from the top of the fiery tornado and quickly drop it almost instantly, literally pulverizing her enemies.

Shortly afterwards, the leader of the army showed himself. It was Dage the Evil himself, and he was after the Frozen Flame to destroy it, as it was the last remains of his wife. Reimi stood in his path, however, and did not intend to let him get what he wanted. She charged against Dage in an attempt to finish him off quickly, however, Dage unsheathed his blade and unleashed a huge swing, causing Reimi to cancel her attack.

She did, however, manage to land a hit on Dage, as she swiftly moved to his right side and cast a huge **Flame Vortex**, dodged to the other side and cast another one, leaving him on his knees and trying to recover.

Siaris looked for a window on the hut so she could watch the action from where she was. She wanted to see her mother defeat the bad guys.

But as Reimi was too focused on Dage, an explosion out of nowhere caught her off-guard and critically hurt her, leaving her lying on the floor, defenseless. Siaris was shocked to see her mother fall and yelled for her. Cheryl tried to make her come down from the window.

\- "Come down from there, or the enemy will see you!"

\- "But mommy, she…!" – Siaris said, trying to warn the Fatalities that Reimi needed help. Amia, the leader of the Femme Fatalities and the Frozen Flame cult, ordered the door to be opened so she could have the Femmes assist Reimi. As the Femmes surrounded Dage, Siaris quickly ran to her mother and see if she was alright.

\- "Mommy!" – Siaris shook her mother's body, trying to get a response from her. – "Mommy, wake up!" – As she saw her efforts to be in vain, she cried for her. – "Mommyyyy!"

***FLASHBACK***

\- "She wasn't strong enough to save Fotia from Dage… and that's why I need to know… Just how powerful can Fire really be and how can I become powerful with it? She couldn't find the answer to that question, so that's why… I need to find it myself for her sake."

\- "You must do what you feel is right, of course…" – Hs'Sakar said. – "I wish you best of luck in your quest for your answer."

\- "Thank you, High Priest. Thank you for everything you've done for me all these years. And goodbye." – Siaris bid farewell to Hs'Sakar, the Temple and the realm of Firestorm, as she ran off on her quest and her first stop would be the Isle of Fotia, where, as a little girl, she lost her mother.


	24. Searching For The Answer

**Chapter 24**

**Searching For The Answer**

Siaris soon arrived at the Island of Fotia, home of the Frozen Flame and the place where she lost her mother. The village was much different. There were much fewer Femme Fatalities than before, alongside some Fotia Elementals and Spirits wandering around the village.

As a little girl, when Siaris lost her mother, she lived two years with Amia, the leader of the Femme Fatalities. She was no Pyromantress, so, Siaris had to learn about the basics all on her own. Luckily, Fotia shared a characteristic with Basani: its village was located near a volcano and thus, there was a strong presence of the Essence of Fire near her. She would often adventure into the volcano and practice her magical abilities. Since Reimi, her mother, was a Pyromantress, she got off to a good start, learning how to channel Fire on your hands, later throwing Fireballs and as she trained, developed new and stronger spells and abilities.

The first person she sought on the village was Amia herself. While she was wandering around the village, looking for her, Cheryl spotted her but didn't recognize her. When Siaris spotted her too, she came to her.

\- "Excuse me! Where can I find Amia?" – Siaris asked.

\- "Amia, the leader of the Femme Fatalities? She would be inside the volcano." – Cheryl said. Siaris gave her a suspicious look. – "Is something the matter, miss?"

\- "Hmm, you look familiar… Have we met before?" – Siaris asked.

\- "Frankly, I highly doubt it, since I had never seen you here before." – Cheryl said, as she was clueless that the woman she was talking to was little Siaris.

\- "I see. Well, never mind. You said she's in the volcano, right?"

\- "That's right. You may go see her if you wish."

\- "Thank you." – Siaris said and made her way to the volcano.

Amia, the cult leader was standing there muttering to herself.

\- "Dage hath no fury like a woman scorned… Dage hath no fury like a woman scorned… Dage hath no fury like a woman scorned…"

Siaris approached her.

\- "Amia…"

Amia turned around to see Siaris and was surprised to see her.

"Siaris, hi!" – She approached her to give her a hug. – "What brings you to Fotia?"

\- "Well, I've been wondering about Fire… My mother came here with me 10 years ago to find out how powerful Fire could really be." – Siaris said.

\- "I see… Unfortunately, I am not the right person to answer your question about Fire. I am not a Pyromantress myself." – Amia said.

\- "But this place has a deep connection to Fire, doesn't it? That's how I've managed to develop my basic Pyromantress abilities back then." – Siaris said.

\- "Yes, that is true, however, there is only one place in Lore where you can obtain your answer." – Amia said.

\- "Where?"

\- "Basani. The ruins of Shurpu is where an ancient Fireborn lives, yes? He can give you the answer."

\- "So, I ended up coming all this way to Fotia for nothing, then…" – Siaris said, quite disappointed.

\- "I'm sorry, dearie, I wish I could've been of more assistance…"

\- "No, it's okay. You've already helped me a lot, thanks!" – Siaris said.

Siaris said her goodbyes to Amia and made her way to Basani, where she first ran into Blazorus.

\- "The ruins of Shurpu… Amia was right. I should've come to this place sooner." – Siaris said as she closed her eyes to feel the Essence of Fire coursing through her. She entered the ruins and made her way to the Guardian's Chamber. She hoped Shurpu himself could answer her question.

She entered the Guardian's Chamber and sought an audience with Shurpu.

\- "Who dares walk into my Chamber?" – Shurpu asks, turning around to see Siaris.

\- "Oh, mighty Shurpu." – Siaris kneeled before him. – "I am a Pyromantress in search of an answer. I've thought maybe you could provide me with such an answer."

\- "The answer to what, Pyromantress?" – Shurpu asked.

\- "The answer to my question: "How powerful can Fire really be?""

Shurpu closed his eyes.

\- "I do not sense the Fireborn Essence in you, Pyromantress, but I shall teach you the ancient arts of Fire magic and thus, give you the answer you're looking for."

This was good news to Siaris, who smiled at the Guardian in excitement.

\- "However…" – Shurpu warned her. – "You will go through rigorous training and spiritual meditation in order to make the flames you wield burn hot and strong."

\- "I understand, Guardian, and I am willing to go through it if that will give me the answer I'm looking for." – Siaris said.

\- "Very well, Pyromantress. Let us get started." – Shurpu said.

Shurpu began by teaching Siaris the ancient history of Pyromancy and how Fire magic was created many millennia ago. It dates back to prehistoric ages, when man first discovered fire. They were so amazed at that small burst of energy that they've started to research ways to fuse Fire with magic to create the arts of Pyromancy.

Pyromancy is one of the oldest arts of magic ever known. Its pioneers date back to the prehistoric age, when mankind's ancestors first roamed the world of Lore. Ancient Shamans began to learn about magic as they discovered the secrets of Nature's four Sacred Elements and sought a way to use it for their own benefit. The first Sacred Element they've discovered was Fire, which provided light and heat, but could also be destructive and deadly. Intrigued by it, the ancient Shamans dedicated years of their lives into studying the properties of Fire and seeking a way to fuse it with magic, in order to be able to control the Sacred Element with their own hands. The first spells related to Fire had been created and thus, the first steps of Pyromancy had been taken and as mankind evolved through thousands of years, the first temples and monuments in honor to Fire had been created to be sacred spiritual sites at which the arts of Pyromancy could be learned and practiced.

One of those monuments was the Ruins of Shurpu in Basani, which back then, were built as a sacred site to pay homage to those who fully mastered the ancient arts of Pyromancy, otherwise known as the Masters of Flames and the first Pyromancer ever to claim that title was young Shurpu himself, as he was the first Fireborn ever to exist. Following the creation of the Ring of Shurpu, the ruins were named after Shurpu himself and served as the home of the Ring.

\- "Wow, I could never imagine Pyromancy was that old…" – Siaris said.

\- "We Pyromancers devote ourselves to the oldest and one of the most powerful magic arts in the world, but not all are able to achieve its full power. Some may even go insane." – Shurpu said.

\- "Really?" – Siaris asked. – "What leads them to become insane?"

\- "Being able to control Fire, some Pyromancers become aggressive, using their power to cause harm either for their own amusement, or to satisfy their desire for revenge."

\- "Revenge for what? I don't understand…"

\- "I'm afraid to be unable to answer that question." – Shurpu said. There was a brief moment of silence until another question popped up in Siaris's mind.

\- "Have other Pyromancers fallen into insanity the same way Xan did throughout history?"

\- "Hmm…" – Shurpu pondered about that question. – "Yes, although there were very few like Xan."

\- "I see…"

\- "I still have much to teach you. Let us continue your training." – Shurpu said.

\- "Yes, I agree." – Siaris said.

The next step of Shurpu's teachings involved the first spells related to Pyromancy. It was important for every Pyromancer to understand these ancient spells, as they were more focused in spiritual strength rather than regular offensive abilities. Shurpu summoned an ancient spellbook in front of Siaris so that she could see them with her own eyes. She had a long way to go, but she was determined to learn everything she could from the Guardian of the Ring.


	25. The Attack on Falguard

**Chapter 25**

**The Attack on Falguard**

Captain Madra led Blazorus to her office in the Falguard Headquarters, since they had a lot to talk about. The office was quite large, with a large window under Madra's desk and a clear view to the furious thunderstorms that covered the skies of Falguard.

\- "Please, have a seat." – Captain Madra said while circling her desk towards her chair and pointing to the guest chair at the same time. Blazorus walks towards it slowly while walking around to see the furniture and decorations. There were lots of paintings of Madra's all lined up, each one portraying her conquests in past battles and wars. Madra noticed it and thought to make a comment on it. – "Those paintings illustrate me in some of my bravest conquests in past wars Thunderforge had been in."

\- "How many battles have you fought?" – Blazorus asked while still looking at the paintings.

\- "Oh, hundreds of them. I have acquired more experience in battle than my men combined." – Captain Madra said. Blazorus turned to look at her.

\- "Impressive." – He said. He then proceeded to sit down on the guest chair, facing Madra, who was sitting at the opposite side of the desk. They've exchanged eye contact for a brief moment before Madra broke the silence.

\- "So, tell me. Are you acquainted with that Pyromancer, Xan?"

\- "Yes."

\- "And what is your reason for going after him?"

\- "Heh… I'm sure you've seen it by yourself… the amount of power he wields. Right?" – Blazorus asked.

\- "Yes, I remember…" – Captain Madra said.

***FLASHBACK***

A wave of Darkblood Warriors charges against Xan.

\- "Hahahahaaa! You fools think you can actually stop me?" – Xan said, extending his hand against them. – "Burn! Hahaha."

He unleashed Shurpu's devastating **Flame Vortex** against the Darkblood soldiers. They were all up in flames in a matter of seconds, and they could do nothing but scream in agony and die by Xan's hand. Captain Madra, who was watching the action from a tower, was not happy to see what just happened.

\- "Ugh, that heartless monster!" – She clenched her fist in anger, as nothing was working against Xan. Each failed attempt was costly to Falguard, as more and more buildings were getting damaged by Xan's slave, who was targeting the structures of the city rather than the Darkblood Warriors. – "I'm going to need something stronger…" – Madra was wondering about it until she heard a deafening thunder sound from the sky, causing her to look upwards. As she saw the fierce lightning bolts flashing between the dark clouds, she found her answer. – "The Darkblood Stormkings…"

Due to the high difficulty in taming the Thunderstorms of Falguard and use them for battle, very few were those that devoted themselves to mastering the ability to use lightning magic. They were known all across Thunderforge as Darkblood Stormkings. They were magnificent in battle, making lightning strikes a form of art and beauty in the eyes of the Darkblood people.

Among them, there was one who stood out more than the rest due to her incredible potential and battle skills, saving Thunderforge many times from certain defeat. Her name was Sorine.

\- "Captain." – Sorine said, appearing behind Madra.

\- "Sorine." – Madra said.

\- "I heard of the commotion in Falguard and came as fast as I could." – Sorine said.

\- "Well, glad you did, because it's not going so well. Our men are being killed mercilessly by that Pyromancer."

\- "Pyromancer!?" – Sorine was caught by surprise. – "Why did you not call upon us?"

\- "Heh." – Madra chuckled. – "I should've known. You would be where the action is."

\- "Yep! You know I don't miss a show!" – Sorine said. – "I'll be on my way." – She ran off.

\- "Good luck." – Madra muttered to herself.

Back at the scene of the crime, Falguard was succumbing more and more to the destructive flames coming from Xan's and his slave's hands.

\- "Hahahahahaha! Nothing can stop me! NOTHING!" – Xan said, overwhelmed by the power of the Ring of Shurpu, making him practically invincible.

Just then, Xan's slave takes a hit from a lightning bolt.

\- "Ugh!" – She shouted, getting knocked down.

\- "Huh?" – Xan turned to see Sorine. – "What the!?"

Sorine's hands were fully charged with lightning power, ready to be unleashed at the enemy. She was glaring at Xan with those lightning blue eyes of hers and ready to face the evil duo all by herself.

Xan's slave, still on the floor, screams as she throws a fireball against Sorine, but it was easily parried by the Stormking.

\- "You dare defy the might of Falguard?" – Sorine said.

\- "Might? Hahahahahahaha!" – Xan burst out laughing. – "Falguard is nothing compared to the power I wield! It has perished by my hand… like you!" – Xan unleashes a **Flame Pillar** around Sorine just as he finishes his sentence. With sharp reflexes, Sorine makes a move to dodge it, but didn't make it out of the Pillar before it exploded. She took a bit of damage to her leg, but could still stand and fight.

\- "Ugh… " – Sorine said. – "Why you…" - Sorine prepares to attack, moving her arms to throw a lightning bolt. – "**Skyfire**!" - She caused both Xan and his slave to be shocked, making any subsequent **Storm Call** attack to heal her wounds.

Xan's slave tried to fight back by unleashing several fireballs against Sorine, hitting her, but since she was under the effect of Skyfire, the damage she dealt to Sorine was quickly neutralized.

\- "**Thunderclap**!" – Sorine stunned Xan and his slave for a while, giving her the perfect opportunity to finish them off. She charged her hand with a huge amount of lightning energy and compressed it into a ball. She aimed for Xan's slave first. – "**Ball Lightning**!" – Xan's slave gets projected backwards, rendering her unconscious.

Sorine found herself at an advantage and it was most likely that she would defeat Xan. As soon as he recovered from being stunned, he gets hit with another Storm Call, causing him to be knocked down.

\- "Argh!"

\- "Do you see now? The might of Falguard always prevails." – Sorine said, looking down at him. Xan laughs.

\- "Maybe so, but everything has a flaw…" – Xan said. Just then, he swung his leg against Sorine's ankles, inverting the roles. – "As far as I'm concerned, there is nothing mightier than the insane flames that burn and consume this world."

Sorine saw herself in a tight spot. She knew she couldn't let Xan gain the upper hand.

\- "Now, you die." – Xan said, charging a **Burning Vengeance**, the same attack that killed Shurpu. – "Burning…!"

Just then, Sorine's eyes start to glow, with small lightning bolts shining within them.

\- "Oh, I don't think so…" – Sorine looked up at the sky with her glowing eyes and raised her hand. Lightning bolts from the sky started gathering directly above Xan, ready to strike. Just before Xan unleashed his Burning Vengeance, Sorine gets up.

\- "…Vengeance!" – Xan unleashed his massive burst of flames at Sorine.

\- "**Cracking Sky**!" – Sorine throws an electrifying punch at Xan, causing a lightning bolt from the sky to strike Xan, tapping into the full fury of the storm. In comparison, Cracking Sky made Burning Vengeance feel like a soft scratch.

***FLASHBACK***

\- "Sorine took substantial damage from Xan, but she survived it." – Madra said.

\- "Wow…" – Blazorus said. – "What about Xan?"

\- "He fled Falguard."

\- "Got any idea where he might have gone?"

\- "Unfortunately, no." – Madra said, closing her eyes. – "I can, however, help you finding him. We have an enemy in common, so, it would be wise for us to join forces."

Blazorus agreed and nodded at Madra, making her his ally. They shook hands and proceeded to make any preparations necessary to find and defeat Xan.

Sorine was still at the hospital recovering from her battle against Xan, but she wasn't going to stay there for much longer, since she was nearly fully recovered. And thus, the Fireborn joins forces with Thunderforge to defeat Xan and end his reign of terror over Lore.


	26. Xan's Whereabouts

**Chapter 26**

**Xan's Whereabouts**

Having barely survived Sorine's **Cracking Sky**, Xan and his slave fled Falguard and split up to different places. Xan headed for the Storm Temple, and his slave for the Venom Vaults. The Storm Temple was the Holy Grail of the Stormkings, as it was where lightning magic was first conceived, not to mention it was the place where Sorine was raised. His reason for heading there was unknown, but Blazorus and the army of Falguard needed to hurry if they were going to stop them before more lands suffered the same fate.

Meanwhile, back in Falguard, Captain Madra was on the way to the hospital with Blazorus so he could introduce Sorine to him.

\- "Sorine is the Darkblood Stormking who fought Xan." – Madra said. – "She's the only one who can use the full extent of lightning magic to summon lightning bolts from the sky and strike the enemy with them. We call it Cracking Sky."

\- "Cracking Sky?" – Blazorus asked.

\- "Yes. I don't know much about that ability myself, since I'm not a Stormking myself, but by what I've seen, it allows her to hit the enemy with a lightning bolt summoned from the sky." – Madra said. – "She's the only one who can do that, of all Stormkings."

\- "Sounds powerful." – Blazorus said. He imagined how Cracking Sky looked like in battle along with the damage it made to the enemy.

Once inside, they made their way to Sorine's room. A nurse who they happened to run into stopped them.

\- "Excuse me, both of you. Might I know where you are headed?"

\- "Oh, hello, nurse Taryn." – Madra said.

\- "Oh, Captain Madra! How are you?" – Nurse Taryn asked.

\- "We were just headed to Sorine's room. Is it okay if we pay her a visit?" – Madra asked."

\- "Yes, she is resting at the moment, but you may pay her a visit." – Nurse Taryn said.

\- "Alright, thank you." – Madra said, then turned to Blazorus. – "Let's go."

They continued on their way. Blazorus and Taryn exchanged eye contact as they passed by each other and the nurse winked at him. Blazorus smirked and winked back, and proceeded to continue following Madra to Sorine's room. The expression on Blazorus's face said he found her quite cute, like all Darkblood women are. If a nurse is that good-looking, he wouldn't imagine how much more Sorine would be. He decided to ask Madra a few questions about her.

\- "So, uhm… How old is Sorine?" – Madra was surprised by his question. She raised an eyebrow, but answered, regardless.

\- "Well, she is 83." – Madra paused for a bit. – "It would be the equivalent of 25 to 28 in human age."

\- "I see. And you said she learned lightning magic as a young girl, right?"

\- "Precisely. That's how she tamed and mastered the fierce lightning bolts of Thunderforge. Through hard training and devotion." – Madra said. Blazorus found it interesting and was really looking forward to meeting Sorine in person, despite being in a hospital.

As they arrived at the door to Sorine's room, Madra signaled Blazorus to hold his position with her hand and knocked the door, which was closed, gently. After hearing Sorine saying to come in, Madra opened the door slowly and took a little peek inside to see how Sorine was doing.

\- "Madra, hello!" – Sorine greeted, surprised by her visit. Madra smiled.

\- "Hi there!" – She made her way in and then looked at Blazorus, who followed her. – "I'm here with someone!"

As Blazorus saw Sorine for the first time, he was amazed at how majestic she looked.

\- "Greetings!" – Blazorus smiled at her.

\- "Hello!" – Sorine smiled back.

\- "Sorine, this is Blazorus." – Madra introduced, then turned to Blazorus. – "Blazorus, this is Sorine, the Darkblood Stormking I told you about."

\- "So, you're the one who fought Xan." – Blazorus got serious. Sorine's smile faded as well.

\- "Yes… he was quite tough." – Sorine said. – "I've never fought anyone like him before."

\- "When was the last time you saw him?" – Madra asked.

\- "It was just as I struck him with Cracking Sky. I don't know where he went afterwards." – Sorine said.

That's when Blazorus remembered his fully awakened Fireborn Essence. Sorine and Madra seemed disappointed in not knowing Xan's whereabouts, but he had a way.

\- "There is a way." – Blazorus said. Madra and Sorine quickly turned to him, eager to know what he meant.

\- "What!?" – Both said in sync.

\- "Xan's power is being amplified by the ring he is wearing. That ring contains the power of my father, Shurpu, inside it and since my Fireborn Essence is fully awakened, I can now sense the Ring and track its location. That is going to be the key to finding him." – Blazorus said.

\- "Most impressive." – Madra said.

\- "Can you do it now?" – Sorine asked.

\- "I haven't had enough time to give it practice, but I'll try." – Blazorus said. He closed his eyes and started concentrating on sensing the Ring. From its location, he could see its surroundings, which helped a lot. – "I see something…"

\- "What is it? What do you see?" – Sorine asked. Blazorus was focusing to the max.

\- "I see… thunder…" – Blazorus said.

\- "Thunder…?" – Sorine said.

\- "That means he's still in Thunderforge." – Madra said.

\- "I also see… a mountain…" – Madra and Sorine couldn't quite tell where Xan was yet. They waited for more details. – "Dark clouds… covering what seems like… a Lion's head."

\- "Sounds familiar…" – Madra said.

\- "There's only one place in Thunderforge that matches that description." – Sorine said. – "Thunder, a mountain, dark clouds, a lion's head…"

\- "The Storm Temple." – Madra said. – "Is his slave with him?"

\- "Slave? What slave?" – Blazorus asked, confused.

\- "Xan brought a woman alongside, claiming her to be his slave."

\- "A woman…?" – Blazorus asked.

\- "Looks like he doesn't know about her." – Sorine said to Madra.

\- "In any case, we should make haste to the Storm Temple before Xan does anything to it." – Madra said.

\- "Good luck and be careful! Xan is incredibly strong." – Sorine said. – "I'll be going out of the hospital soon, so, I hope to able to catch up with you guys."

\- "Alright, Sorine. We'll see you later. Take care of yourself until then." – Madra smiled to Sorine.

\- "You too! Oh, and… you, Pyromancer!" – Sorine said. Blazorus turned to her. – "Be extra careful against Xan. If you can't defeat him, no one else can."

\- "Don't worry. Even if he has the Ring of Shurpu in his possession, he's still no match for a true Fireborn." – He smiled at her, casting a small ember on his hand to show off his determination. She smiled back and nodded at him. As they made their way out of the hospital, Madra turned to Blazorus.

\- "You have left quite a good impression on Sorine. I can see she liked you." – Blazorus was surprised and chuckled.

\- "Really? Thanks!" – Blazorus said. – "I hope she makes a speedy recovery. I feel that her help would be useful to us at this point."

\- "You don't have to worry about her. Right now, our priority is to reach the Storm Temple as fast as we can."

\- "Yeah. Let's go."

They've made haste to the Storm Temple, but they first had to pass through the Venom Vaults, which was where Xan's slave was supposed to be at. The reason for her to be there was unknown. Perhaps Xan wanted her to do something from him, like burning down the whole place, like he did with Falguard. Blazorus wanted to know who Xan's slave is, since he had never heard about her before. As he was pondering about it, he remembered Andesi back in Basani told him Xan had taken Scoria, which led him to wonder if the slave was actually his teacher. Either way, he knew there was only one way to find out, and that was to see her in person.


	27. The Slave of the Flames

**Chapter 27**

**The Slave of the Flames**

The Storm Temple was Xan's final target to destroy in Thunderforge, and by the time Blazorus realized he was there, he had already begun his assault. The Thunderforge forces guarding the Storm Temple were doing their best to protect the heart of the Stormkings, but Blazorus and Madra had to hurry up if they were to stop Xan for good. However, to get there, they had to go through the Venom Vaults, where Xan's slave was supposed to be at. For what reason, it is unknown, but it couldn't be a good one.

\- "In order to get to the Storm Temple, we have to go through the Venom Vaults." – Madra said.

\- "The Venom Vaults?" – Blazorus asked.

\- "The Venom Vaults are where the wealth of Thunderforge is stored. I just hope…"

\- "… Yeah."

Meanwhile, in the Venom Vaults, Xan's slave was fighting Sir Valence, the Pactogonal Knight, who was guarding the place. With a bow in his hand, he did his best to hold her off and protect the wealth of Thunderforge.

\- "You… out… of my… way…" – Xan's slave said, charging a dark fireball in her hand. Sir Valence had his bow ready to shoot an arrow in case Xan's slave attacked him. Her eyes glowing hot with a fiery color behind her dark hair that was covering them.

\- "Hiyah!" – She throws the fireball at Sir Valence, who jumps up to dodge it, and in mid-air, he shot the arrow at her, hitting her left arm. – "Ugh!" – She grabbed the arrow and pulled it out, screaming in pain. She tossed the arrow to the floor, looking at Sir Valence with fury.

\- "I won't allow you to cause this place any harm!" – Sir Valence said, preparing another arrow to shoot against Xan's slave. Aggravated by the taunt, Xan's slave throws more fireballs at Sir Valence as if they were tennis balls, which made them harder to dodge. Sir Valence dodged the first few, but as he was hit by one, it made him a sitting duck for the next ones. He fell to the floor.

\- "You will feel my wrath…" – Xan's slave said. She approached the fallen knight, who crawled away from her. She charged a **Disintegrate**, which was a powerful mass of dark Fire that burned the enemy and disintegrated him completely. It was Xan's slave's strongest ability, and the amount of damage it caused was downright dangerous. She looked at Sir Valence with the full fury glowing in her eyes. – "Now, you die." – As Xan's slave prepared to kill Sir Valence…

\- "Stop!" – A voice shouted behind her, causing her to turn her attention towards it. Just then, she gets hit by a kick on her back, causing her to be projected away from Sir Valence. He got up quickly to see who it was.

\- "Captain Madra!" – Sir Valence said.

\- "Valence, are you alright?" – She asked.

\- "Yes, Captain. Thanks for saving me. I thought I was a goner back there."

\- "Listen, we need you to go to the Storm Temple. It's under attack by a dark Pyromancer. Our forces need all the reinforcements they can get." – Madra said.

\- "What about-?"

\- "Leave that to me." – Blazorus said.

\- "Right. Good luck." – Sir Valence said. He made his way to the Storm Temple as fast as he could. Blazorus turned to Madra.

\- "I'll handle her. You should go to the Storm Temple as well."

\- "Alright, I'm counting on you. Good luck." – Madra said before rushing to the Storm Temple.

It was now up to Blazorus to stop Xan's slave, but he wanted to know who she was first. He turned to her, who was knocked down, and walked towards her.

\- "Now, let's see who you are." – He said.

Xan's slave got up, with her back turned on Blazorus.

\- "Show yourself!" – Blazorus said. He took a glance at her back and got the feeling of knowing her from somewhere.

She slowly turned around. Just as Blazorus was going to get a glimpse of her face, she threw a Disintegrate against him.

\- "Whoa!" – Blazorus jumped back in order to avoid it. He didn't get hit, but it passed dangerously close to him. He felt the heat of those flames and he saw that she was strong. – "Ugh…" – He got up quickly. – "Why you…"

\- "Hiyah!" – Xan's slave threw a ball of dark Fire, almost as big as a **Blazing Extinction**, but Blazorus blocked it with a **Flame Vortex**.

\- "Ugh, you are a strong one…" – Blazorus looked at her face, but couldn't tell who it was, since her hair was covering her eyes. She charged in towards Blazorus, engaging in hand-to-hand combat. – "What!?" – She threw a punch to Blazorus's face, who barely dodged it. Immediately after, she threw a low sweeping kick, knocking him down. – "Ugh!" – As he was knocked down, she sat on top of him, charging a dark fireball and attempting to melt Blazorus's face with it. However, he grabbed her forearm, stopping her in her tracks. He immediately channeled his hands with scorching hot fire, burning the skin on her forearm, causing her to scream in pain. The dark fireball vanished and Blazorus recovered, getting her off of him and back up.

Xan's slave was incapacitated by Blazorus's burn. She grasped her forearm's burned area. Unable to fight, she laid there on the floor. Blazorus took this chance to pick her up and uncover her face. As he pulled her hair out of the way to reveal her eyes, he was shocked.

\- "No way…" – Blazorus's hands glowed and slowly healed Xan's slave from the dark flames that corrupted her. As she regained consciousness, she looked at Blazorus's face. He was no longer in his Emblazoned form, so, she recognized him easily.

\- "Blazorus…" – she said.

\- "Ms. Scoria!" – Blazorus said, with tears rolling down his eyes.

\- "Wh… Where am I…?" – Scoria said. She looked around. – "This doesn't look like the village… Is Andesi alright…?"

\- "Ms. Scoria…" – Blazorus felt miserable. He knew he couldn't tell Scoria what happened to Andesi and the kids back in Basani. – "You were… Xan's slave… all along…?"

\- "Xan…" – Scoria said. – "Please… stop him… leave me here… or else…"

\- "I won't leave you, Ms. Scoria!" – Blazorus said, grabbing her hand tight. – "I've missed you… so much…" – Tears couldn't stop rolling down his eyes.

\- "You look so handsome…" – Scoria smiled at him, passing her hand through his face. – "I'm so proud of you…"

\- "Ms. Scoria…" – Blazorus chuckled.

\- "Blazorus…" – Scoria said. – "I've always… loved you… my son…" – Her vitality slowly fading.

\- "Ms. Scoria, don't go!" – Blazorus said, afraid of seeing her die.

\- "It's okay… This is how… it's meant to be…" – Scoria said, before slowly closing her eyes and letting her final breath out. Blazorus cried a river over the loss of his beloved teacher and mother figure.

\- "Ms. Scoria…" – Blazorus sobbed, letting out screams of grief and sorrow. After a while of crying, he reluctantly accepted Scoria's death.

\- "Ms. Scoria… I'm sorry…" – He said. – "If it wasn't for me… you'd still be alive…" – He put Scoria's body down gently and got up. – "Alright… I'm going to stop Xan once and for all. He has caused more than enough pain to me, to you and to everyone. You watch from there with Andesi."

He rushed to the Storm Temple to help Madra and Sir Valence against Xan and swore on his title of Fireborn that he would defeat the evildoer and inherit the Ring that once belonged to his father.


	28. The Heart of the Stormkings

**Chapter 28**

**The Heart of the Stormkings**

At the Storm Temple, Madra and Sir Valence were fighting Xan to protect their Sanctuary. All of the guards had already been defeated, so, Madra saw herself in a bit of a tight spot. During her skirmish with the dark Pyromancer, Madra got hit by one of his scorching hot fireballs.

\- "Argh!" – Madra shouted as she was projected backwards. Sir Valence caught her.

\- "Captain! Are you alright?"

\- "Yes… I'm fine… ugh." – Madra felt that one. It was unclear whether she could continue or not.

\- "Get some rest, Captain. I'll deal with him." – Sir Valence offered to trade places with Madra, who agreed.

\- "Be careful, he's quite strong…"

\- "I will, Captain, don't worry."

Sir Valence let go of Madra and unsheathed his bow for combat.

\- "Deal with me? You have no idea of who I am, do you?" – Xan asked.

\- "No, nor do I need to know. All that matters is that you fall by my arrows." – Sir Valence said as he got an arrow ready to shoot.

\- "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA! How naïve of you to think you can defeat me with mere arrows from a bow!" – Xan laughed, mocking Sir Valence. – "Your arrows are no match for me! Burn! Hahaha!" – Xan conflagrated Sir Valence, making him scream in pain. He quickly dropped the bow and laid on the floor, rolling from one side to the other in an attempt to put out the fire.

\- "Valence, no!" – Madra yelled. She couldn't do anything but watch.

– "Feel the destructive power of my flames! Hahaha!"

Sir Valence had eventually put out the fire, but he had been burnt severely and could no longer fight. He laid there on the floor, at the mercy of Xan. He walked towards him and ignited a fireball in his hand.

\- "Now you die." – Xan said.

Just then, a fierce lightning bolt struck Xan, causing an explosion and projecting him away from Sir Valence. Madra quickly looked for where that bolt came from.

\- "What do you think you're doing to the Heart of the Stormkings?" – A voice said. It was apparently the one who had thrown that lightning bolt at Xan. He turned around to see Sorine.

\- "Sorine!" – Madra said. – "Took you long enough!"

\- "Hi, Madra! Are you alright?"

\- "Yes, I'm fine. Just focus on Xan for now." – Madra said.

\- "Alright!" – Sorine turned to Xan, ready to face him once more.

\- "You again?" – Xan said. – "What can you possibly expect to accomplish now?"

\- I will not allow you to cause the Storm Temple any harm." – Sorine said. Her hands were fully charged with the fiercest lightning bolts she could charge.

\- "Very well." – Xan said. – "I will deal with you again. Once you fall, so will this temple." – He channeled dark fireballs and looked fiercely at Sorine.

Both made their move. Xan threw the fireballs at Sorine, but she parried them. Just then, Sorine made her counter move, shocking Xan with **Skyfire**. Xan made an effort to retaliate, landing a few hits, however, they were rendered completely useless due to the fact that Sorine could heal herself during Xan's shocked state. It seemed like she had the upper hand, but it was short lived. Once the shocked effect fades, Xan made his move. He charged a massive **Disintegrate** ball and waited for the moment to land it.

\- "Sorine, look out!" – Madra warned her as soon as she noticed it. Sorine was caught by surprise, turning to Madra after that warning.

\- "Huh?" – Sorine wondered. Just then, Xan hit her with his Disintegrate. – "Argh!" – She was projected backwards by a distance and was seriously injured as a result.

\- "Sorine, no!" – Madra said, crying. Xan laughed.

\- "Your puny little lightning magic is no match for my power! I rule this world! HAHAHAHAHAAAA!" – Xan screamed.

Sorine was on the floor unable to get back up due to the huge blow she took from Xan. She looked at Xan laughing.

\- "Ugh… Madra… I'm so sorry…" – She muttered to herself. – "Even though… I'm the strongest Stormking of Thunderforge… I still couldn't defeat him…" – Sorine turned her sight towards the floor, as she recalled her past.

***FLASHBACK***

Little Sorine and other Stormking apprentices were with their mentor, Tyrell, as they were learning basic abilities with lightning bolts. Of all apprentices, Sorine had the most potential, which led her to being the mentor's favorite. She was practicing her charging abilities and learning how to throw a lightning bolt. Each apprentice had a target dummy of their own to practice their moves on. During her exercise, little Sorine spotted a not-so-lucky Stormking apprentice who had major difficulties getting a lightning bolt charged. Though she tried so hard, she couldn't make it. She started crying. Sorine felt sorry for her, so, she interrupted her training to help her fellow apprentice.

\- "Hey! What's wrong?" – Sorine asked.

\- "I can't get a bolt on my hands…" – The little apprentice said, sobbing.

\- "It's not so hard, here!" – Sorine grabbed the girl's hands. – "You have to concentrate on charging your hands, okay?"

\- "Mhm!" – The little apprentice nodded, no longer sobbing.

\- "Okay, now, watch this." – Sorine charged a bolt on her hand and then transferred it to the girl's.

\- "Wow!"

\- "Now, just concentrate on this bolt, okay? When I let go of your hands, I want you to keep it charged!"

\- "Okay!" – The little apprentice was excited.

\- "Okay, on three. One, two…" – Sorine hoped for it to work. – "Three!" – She let go of the little girl's hands and amazingly, she managed to keep the lightning bolt charged. She cheered with joy.

\- "Wow, that's amazing! Thank you!" – The little apprentice thanked Sorine. – "Hey, what's your name?"

\- "I'm Sorine, and you?"

\- "I'm Namiko! Nice to meet you!" – She smiled at Sorine. – "Do you want to be friends?"

\- "Yes, sure!" – Sorine accepted and befriended Namiko.

Their mentor, Tyrell, saw the whole thing and came to Sorine.

\- "I saw you helping little Namiko just now. Well done, Sorine." – He praised.

\- "Thank you, Master!" – Sorine thanked and bowed to him.

\- "Uhm… Master?"

\- "Yes, Namiko?" – Tyrell said.

\- "Can I train with Sorine from now on? She helped me a lot!" – Namiko asked.

\- "Yes, you may." – Tyrell allowed. – "Have fun." – He smiled at them both.

\- "Yay, thank you, Master!" – Namiko was excited.

\- "Sorine." – Tyrell turned to her.

\- "Yes, Master?"

\- "Your dedication to helping your fellow apprentice has impressed me. Not only do you have the potential to master the storms of Thunderforge, but also the heart of a Stormking. One day, you will be entrusted to protect this Temple and carry on its legacy." – He smiled at Sorine.

\- "Yes, Master." – Sorine bowed. – "Thank you."

***FLASHBACK***

\- "Master…" – Sorine muttered to herself. – "I can't let you down… Not like this…" – She was witnessing Xan damaging the Storm Temple and destroying it. – "I can't allow you to… win." – She got up with all her might. – "S-Stop!" – Sorine shouted.

\- "Huh?" – Xan looked back and saw Sorine standing up. – "What!? Impossible!"

\- "This ends here…" – Sorine put her hands up, calling upon the storms above Thunderforge. A huge, dark cloud started gathering directly above Xan. – "You haven't won yet. You never will. Nothing can beat the power of the Storm. Nothing can shatter the heart of a Stormking!" – Just then, the ground around Xan started glowing. He looked up.

\- "Oh, no…" – Xan said.

\- "**Cracking Sky**!" – Sorine shouted with all her might, causing huge lightning bolts to strike the ground around Xan one after the other. Xan dodged the first few. He decided to trigger his **Dark Fire Shield** to protect himself. The shield took three bolts before fading.

\- "Hehehe, nice try… But you'll have to do much better than that!" – Xan said, ready to counter-attack. – "What…? I can't move!" – Xan was paralyzed as a side effect of Cracking Sky.

\- "You forgot that lightning can paralyze someone. Lucky you, though. I don't have enough strength to finish you off." – Sorine said, falling to her knees.

\- "But I do." – A voice said in the back. Everyone turned to see who it was.

\- "Shurpu!? Impossible!" – Xan said.

\- "Blazorus!" – Madra and Sorine said.

\- "It's time to settle a little score from Basani, Xan." – Blazorus looked at his nemesis, his eyes glowing with fury. This was the time for both Pyromancers to face each other once and for all. The true battle for dominance upon Fire was about to begin.


	29. The Spirit of Shurpu

**Chapter 29**

**The Spirit of Shurpu**

***FLASHBACK***

\- "Stop. Go no further." – Shurpu ordered Xan, in a warning tone.

Xan replied by throwing a fireball at the Guardian, who jumped to avoid it.

\- "You dare defy the Guardian of the Ring?" – Shurpu said, unsheathing the Magma Spire and getting ready for battle.

As Xan threw more fireballs at him, Shurpu avoided them with ease and in mid-air, he pointed the Magma Spire at his enemy and unleashed a **Flame Vortex**, knocking Xan down as a result. Once back at the floor, Shurpu gazes upon the fallen Xan, who slowly gets up, angrier than before.

***FLASHBACK***

\- "But Guardian, how did Xan manage to defeat you?" – Siaris asked.

\- "After I knocked him down, I expected him to learn who he was up against, but I was wrong. He got up and…"

***FLASHBACK***

\- "I will burn it all… this world… will be consumed… in flames!" – Xan transformed into a fiercer version of himself, becoming more powerful and suffering an almost unrecognizable transformation. His head has turned into a dark skull on fire, his Pyromancer robes had been burnt to ashes, and his body had turned into one made of dark fire. Shurpu attacked him once more with Flame Vortex, but this time, it had no effect, as he didn't budge.

\- "What!?" – Shurpu could not believe it. It was technically impossible for someone to be more powerful than a Fireborn such as himself, but Xan was no ordinary Pyromancer.

\- "You will meet your doom here, Guardian…" – Xan calls upon his most powerful ability in an attempt to crush the Guardian of the Ring and take the precious jewel with him. – "Burning…!"

\- "No, I will not allow it… You will never be able to take the Ring with you…" – Shurpu does the same, calling upon his ultimate ability. – "Towering…!"

\- "Hahahahaha! Go ahead, try to stop me!" – Xan unleashes his ability against Shurpu. – "… Vengeance!"

\- "… Inferno!" – Shurpu engages in the most scorching clash of Fire attacks ever. Both tried their hardest to prevail.

***FLASHBACK***

\- "… but Xan revealed to be too powerful for me to handle." – Shurpu said. Siaris didn't know what to say. – "If I hadn't concealed the majority of my power inside the Ring, I would've never fallen to that villain. And now he's the one who bears my power. I hope my son can stop him before it's too late."

Meanwhile, in the Storm Temple…

\- "This is impossible, I killed you in the Ruins!" – Xan said.

\- "A Fireborn cannot die, only reincarnate." – Blazorus said. – "I have the blessing of Shurpu and awakened my true Fireborn potential."

Xan flinched.

\- "Fire… born?"

\- "I will take that Ring now." – Blazorus said, slowly approaching Xan.

\- "Stop!" – Xan threw a fireball at the Emblazoned Fireborn. Blazorus easily parried it.

\- "You'll have to do much better than that."

Xan got angry.

\- "I took Shurpu out once, and I'm going to do it again… with you!" – Xan transformed into the same form as he did against Shurpu. Blazorus quickly stopped in his tracks.

\- "What…?"

Sorine and Madra were shocked to see that transformation.

\- "You don't want to put me to the test, boy." – Xan warned Blazorus.

\- "That's exactly what I'm going to do." – Blazorus threw a Flame Vortex at Xan. – "Kyah!" – Xan blocked it, but took some damage. – "You see, you're not only fighting me, you're fighting both me and the spirit of my father.

\- "Grrr…" – Xan was getting impatient and eager to battle Blazorus. – "Enough talk! Let's do this!" – He threw a giant wave of dark fire at Blazorus.

\- "Argh!" – Blazorus falls to the ground.

\- "Blazorus!" – Madra shouted.

\- "I'm okay! You and Sorine get out of here while you can! I'll handle him myself!"

\- "Silence! You will all die here! You have already stalled me for too long!" – Xan said.

\- "Ugh…" – Blazorus got back up and looked at Madra. – "Go!"

Madra and Sorine quickly left the Storm Temple and returned to Falguard.

\- "Oh no, you don't!" – Xan chases after them, but Blazorus gets in his way and pins him down.

\- "Where do you think you're going?" – Blazorus said, tackling Xan to the ground. He let go of him afterwards, as he just wanted to stop Xan from going after Madra and Sorine.

\- "You will pay for that!" – Xan said, launching a **Disintegrate** against Blazorus, who blocked it, but he wasn't ready for what came afterwards. Xan kicked Blazorus's guts, making him flinch.

\- "Argh!" – Blazorus felt that kick.

\- "Fireborn or no Fireborn, you are no match for me, boy." – Xan said.

\- "Oh yeah…? Well, I have something… to say about that." – Blazorus said. He regained his composure and began to focus.

\- "Hai-yah!" – A voice from the background shouted, shortly before a huge ball of magma hit Xan, catching him off-guard. Xan fell to the floor like a dummy. Blazorus was caught by surprise as well, and looked towards the direction from whence the ball came.

\- "What…?" – He said.

\- "Hey there, missed me?"

\- "Siaris!" – Blazorus said.

\- "It's time we brought this to an end, don't you think?"

\- "Let's do this."- Blazorus said.

Xan got up shortly afterwards.

\- "You dare attack me!?" – Xan said, furious. – "You'll see what happens when you aggravate me."

\- "Bring it on! It's time we got this over with!" – Siaris said. She teamed up with Blazorus in order to bring an end to Xan's terror over Lore. She turned to Blazorus. – "Shurpu told me everything. You carry his blood in your veins, don't you?"

\- "Yeah. I am his son. And that's why I have to get that Ring back."

Meanwhile, in Falguard…

\- "Madra, what are we going to do?" – Sorine asked.

\- "As much as I don't like the idea, we'll have to stay here and wait for Blazorus to come back." – Madra said.

\- "Do you think he can make it?"

\- "Well, both him and Xan are Pyromancers, masters of Fire magic. He knows what he is up against."

\- "Well, let's hope so. For the sake of the Darkblood."

Back at the Storm Temple…

\- "You see, Xan. Shurpu is not truly dead. He will never be truly dead." – Siaris said.

\- "Silence!" – Xan shouted as he launched a **Disintegrate **against Siaris.

\- "Siaris, look out!" – Blazorus tackled Siaris out of the way and took the blow for her. – "Argh!" – Siaris fell to the floor. Xan glares at both Siaris and Blazorus for a while.

\- "If that's the case, then it's up to me to finish Shurpu off once and for all. And you two will be next." – Xan said, running off.

\- "Xan…" – Blazorus said in a faint voice, as he was injured from that **Disintegrate**. Siaris got up and came to his aid.

\- "Blazorus, are you alright!?" – Siaris asked.

\- "Yes, I'm fine…"

\- "Blazorus, Xan ran off to—"

\- "Basani, I know."

\- "What're you going to do?"

\- "I'm going to stop him before it's too late."

\- "Not like that, you won't. Come on, let's go back to Falguard."

\- "Alright…" – Blazorus tried to get up on his own, but Siaris helped him a little. They proceeded to make their way back to Falguard to meet up with Sorine and Madra, and fill them in. Just how long was this war willing to go to end? How long would Blazorus have to chase Xan before it all ended? Only time would tell.


	30. Guardian Resurrected

**Chapter 30**

**Guardian Resurrected**

After the fierce skirmish between Xan and Blazorus, alongside Siaris, in the Storm Temple of Thunderforge, the dark Pyromancer fled the scene to go back to Basani after realizing Shurpu himself was still alive. However, he couldn't give chase due to having been injured, so, Siaris took the Fireborn back to Falguard for treatment.

\- "Captain! There's someone approaching the gates." – A Darkblood soldier said.

\- "Give me that." – Madra said, taking the binoculars from the soldier. – "Oh, no…"

\- "Is something wrong, Captain?"

\- "Open the gates and get a medic!" – Madra ordered. – "Now!"

\- "Yes, Captain." – The Darkblood soldier rushed to the hospital.

When Blazorus and Siaris arrived at the gates, Captain Madra made her way to the main gate, in order to help him.

\- "Blazorus!" – Madra called. Siaris turned to her and gave her a troublesome look. – "What happened?"

\- "Xan…" – Blazorus said. – "He—"

\- "He was injured by Xan during our battle and fled the scene right after." – Siaris said.

\- "I see." – Captain Madra said. She turned to her soldiers. – "Where's the medic!?"

\- "I'm here, Captain." – Nurse Taryn said.

\- "Take him back to the hospital for treatment." – Madra said.

Meanwhile, in Basani, the Guardian of the Ring was resting in his chamber, meditating. In the midst of peace, surrounded by the sounds of crackling fire, a door was heard opening. The Guardian opened his eyes.

\- "So, you are still alive, after all these years." – Xan said.

\- "You are a disgrace to Fire Magic, intruder. You taint the legacy within the ring you're wearing." – Shurpu said. He was facing his altar, his back turned at Xan and the main entrance to his chambers.

\- "Silence!" – Xan shouted. – "You have no right to call me unworthy! Today, after millennia, I will have my revenge!"

Shurpu slowly turned to face his enemy. His eyes were glowing fire red, challenging the Dark Pyromancer for another fierce duel. Xan did not hesitate one second to throw a **Fireball** at the Guardian, easily getting parried.

\- "One mere Fireball? Admit defeat if that's all you can do." – Shurpu said. Further provoked, Xan channeled a more powerful attack. This time, the flames glowed dark. It was a **Disintegrate**, the same attack that injured the Fireborn in the Storm Temple.

\- "Feel my wrath!" – Xan shouted as he threw the burst of dark flames at the Guardian.

\- "What!?" – Shurpu crossed his arms in an effort to block the attack, but he could feel the struggle as he was being slowly knocked backwards. One more second, and he would have fallen to the ground. – "Argh!"

Xan could only laugh at his struggle to endure the dark flames. – "So, you see, I have grown more powerful than you could have ever hoped to be during your lifetime!"

Shurpu did not reply back, but retaliated. He started growing a **Magma Ball** in his hand and threw it at his enemy at an astonishing split-second speed. Xan got hit and was knocked backwards, and he did not have much time to recover before getting hit with another ball. As he saw a series of Magma Balls being thrown at him, it took his best efforts to dodge them, but he sustained a few injuries. This only infuriated him even further, as his desire for revenge grew larger by the minute, even if it meant destroying the entire Ruins just to see the Guardian fallen once again.

\- "You are not Fireborn. You will never be Fireborn. You are corrupted. You play with a power that you cannot fully control, that you have no understanding of. Continue down that path, and you will die by your own hand, consumed to ashes by the power you wield. Relinquish the Ring or perish. I will not warn you again." – Shurpu said.

The Ring in Xan's hand started glowing. Shurpu was calling out to its power in the hopes of restoring himself to his prime as the first Fireborn in existence.

\- "No… No! You cannot do that!" – Xan shouted in protest, as he saw and felt the Ring weakening his power. – "You cannot resurrect yourself! I had already killed you!"

Shurpu did not reply. He continued the channeling of his own power. Xan was in dismay to see his enemy transforming to his prime Fireborn form. During the process, Xan was engulfed in a mighty **Pillar of Fire** that Shurpu was casting on him as he was being transformed. Xan screamed in agony, feeling that it was going to be the death of him. He knew he could not just die there at the hands of the Guardian of the Ring.

\- "Regular Pyromancers are no match for the Fireborn bloodline. Give up now and leave, or feel my wrath and die." – Shurpu said. The power of the Ring had fully resurrected him, bringing back his human form.

\- "Never! I will have my revenge! I will have you crawling at my feet again!" – Xan shouted in complete anger, summoning a dark aura of Fire around him, as if he was going to undergo some sort of transformation. Shurpu stood there to see where it would lead. He could barely see his enemy behind the aura fueled by Xan's rage.

All of a sudden, Xan began suffering a deadly metamorphosis. By what Shurpu could see, his dark flaming skull turned bright fire orange and the flame on his head grew larger and hotter. His physical form turned into a Fire elemental body, no longer physical, but made of Fire in itself. It was not entirely the same transformation that Xan suffered during their last battle millennia ago, but something far more powerful, fueled by Xan's emotions of anger and hatred. Unintimidated, Shurpu glared at Xan's transformed state.

\- "Now you will see what a real Pyromancer is capable of!" – Xan said. His voice had also changed to a distorted effect, as if he was some sort of demon. – "**Fire Storm**!" – Xan launches a fierce tornado of fire at Shurpu.

\- "What!?" – Shurpu flinched and immediately attempted to block the tornado, but nevertheless, it was stronger than him and he could not avoid being knocked back. – "Argh!" – He regained his composure shortly. – "How can this be…? That spell… is from Ssikari's land…"

***FLASHBACK***

Shurpu remembered his days with Ssikari in Firestorm, when she was still young, learning to wield her power as Dragon Priestess. Hs'Sakar had instructed her in everything surrounding Firestorm's ancient Fire magic. Unlike Pyromancy, Firestorm revolved in the connection of the sacred Elements with each other in nature. Fire combined with Water resulted in molten lava due to its near liquid state. Fire combined with Earth resulted in volcanos. And combined with Air resulted in fire storms, tornados made not from wind, but from fire, after which their land was named after. Hs'Sakar's ancestors long ago had successfully managed to turn fire storms into a spell that only the High Priest of the Prime Fire Dragon and the Dragon Priestess could cast, simply named **Fire Storm**. Shurpu himself was not able to cast it because he had no connection to Firestorm at all.

***FLASHBACK***

\- "There is no way you could have possibly managed to cast that spell…" – Shurpu said to Xan.

\- "There is no Pyromancer who could possibly be a match for me! Not even you, Guardian. I am the true embodiment of Fire and I will stop at nothing until all is consumed in flames!" – Xan said.

\- "No… I will not allow that to happen." – Shurpu stood up and cast **Flame Vortex**. Xan parried it, but Shurpu did not stop there. He cast it again and again and again in an attempt to throw Xan off-balance for a split second so he could have a chance to counter-attack.

\- "Resistance is futile, old man!" – Xan said.

What Xan did not realize was that the Flame Vortexes were increasing in power one after another. Shurpu was determined to stop the villain at all costs and claim his Ring back. After insisting for so long, Xan finally flinched and lost his balance and as soon as Shurpu saw it…

\- "**Towering Inferno**!" – Shurpu shouted from the top of his lungs, putting all of his might into his ultimate ability to bring his enemy down. Xan had no defense against it and took the full damage, screaming in agony and falling off afterwards. He was badly injured and did not stand back up, but then again, who would stand back up after an attack like that? Shurpu slowly walked towards Xan.

\- "You see? You will never be a match for a true Fireborn." – He then extended his hand towards the ring and kinetically stripped Xan from it and equipped it himself.

\- "This isn't over…" – Xan said. – "I swear on her grave…"

Shurpu glared at him without any reply.

\- "Got nothing to say about that? Huh!?" – Xan said. – "You took her from me and yet, you feel no remorse whatsoever… I will make sure you feel my full wrath… Mark my words…"

He still did not reply after a while silent, but then he looked away from Xan, his eyes closed.

\- "It was not my fault… I could have not prevented her death in any possible way… When are you going to understand that?"


End file.
